magic square

American  

noun

1. a square containing integers arranged in an equal number of rows and columns so that the sum of the integers in any row, column, or diagonal is the same.

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magic square British  

noun

1. a square array of rows of integers arranged so that the sum of the integers is the same when taken vertically, horizontally, or diagonally

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magic square Scientific  

1. A square that contains numbers arranged in equal rows and columns such that the sum of each row, column, and sometimes diagonal is the same.

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Etymology

Origin of magic square

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

The work “is a beautiful and simple direct implementation of the Mermin-Peres magic square game,” says Arul Lakshminarayan of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, who was not involved in the experimental demonstration.

From Scientific American • Oct. 25, 2022

You don’t go to the films of John Waters for a tidy three-act structure, and you don’t go to his essays for elements locking into place with the organizational splendor of a magic square.

From New York Times • May 3, 2022

Their magic square of Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah is fluid and ruthless enough to cut through any defence.

From The Guardian • Dec. 7, 2017

To underscore that point, MAM launched on Tuesday April 1 with a brace of videos from rising math stand-up star Ethan Brown—a mere 9th grader—on customized magic square construction:

From Scientific American • Apr. 16, 2014

If the bribe had been anything but a magic square math book, it would have been so easy to refuse.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine