Enigmas on Magic Squares: win €8,000 and 12 bottles of champagne!!!


While magic squares have been known and studied for many centuries, it is surprising that for certain types of magic squares we still do not know today which are the smallest possible! In an effort to make progress on these unsolved problems, twelve prizes totaling €8,000 and 12 bottles of champagne are offered for the solutions to twelve enigmas (six main at €1,000 each, six small from €100 to €500 each):

read the press release of April 2010... and send me your solutions!

Who can construct, or prove the impossibility:

  1. 3x3 magic square using 7 (or why not 8, or 9) distinct squared integers different from this only known example (and of its rotations, symmetries and k² multiples):
    1. 373²

      289²

      565²

      360721

      425²

      23²

      205²

      527²

      222121

  2. 5x5 bimagic square using distinct positive integers
  3. 3x3 semi-magic square of cubes using distinct positive cubed integers (small enigma #3a: square 7x7)
  4. 4x4 magic square of cubes using distinct positive cubed integers (small enigmas #4a, #4b, #4c: squares 5x56x6, 7x7)
  5. multiplicative magic cube using distinct positive integers < 364
  6. 5x5 additive-multiplicative magic square using distinct positive integers (small enigmas #6a , #6b: squares 6x67x7)

No, I myself do not have the solutions... Of course, only the first person who will solve an enigma will win the associated prize and will have his name added in this table:


Enigmas in Pour La Science

                                        in
Dossier Pour La Science (Jeux math')....... and Pour La Science website


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