Sum of Terms of Magic Square
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Theorem
The total of all the entries in a magic square of order $n$ is given by:
- $T_n = \dfrac {n^2 \paren {n^2 + 1} } 2$
Proof
Let $M_n$ denote a magic square of order $n$.
$M_n$ is by definition a square matrix of order $n$ containing the positive integers from $1$ upwards.
Thus there are $n^2$ entries in $M_n$, going from $1$ to $n^2$.
Thus:
\(\ds T_n\) | \(=\) | \(\ds \sum_{k \mathop = 1}^{n^2} k\) | ||||||||||||
\(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds \frac {n^2 \paren {n^2 + 1} } 2\) | Closed Form for Triangular Numbers |
$\blacksquare$
Sequence
The sequence of the sum totals of all the entries in magic squares of order $n$ begins:
- $1, \paren {10,} \, 45, 136, 325, 666, 1225, 2080, 3321, 5050, 7381, 10 \, 440, 14 \, 365, 19 \, 306, 25 \, 425, 32 \, 896, \ldots$
However, note that while $10 = \dfrac {2^2 \paren {2^2 + 1} } 2$, a magic square of order $2$ does not actually exist.