Sandy Wood
Brain Game: Math Square #39
by Sandy Wood - August 31, 2010 - 7:30 AM

bloghead_braingames.jpg

Last week, reader Lola inquired if there was a way to construct a Math Square that didn’t provide any number clues. There is, so we’ve offered one today for Brain Game #578. (Apologies for not publishing one yesterday; mentalfloss.com was experiencing difficulties due to a tricky update and kept deleting the post.) Enjoy!

The nine white squares inside the main red grid should be filled with the digits 1 through 9. Each digit should appear only once in this main grid (the red square). Place the 9 digits in their correct spots so that the mathematical equations work both across and down. IMPORTANT: Remember algebraic rules when solving the problems… multiplication/division should be performed in the first step, then addition/subtraction in the second. Good luck!

Here is my SOLUTION.

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Comments (10)

  1. Got it, about 20 seconds, i guess i got lucky and started with the right idea.

    posted by William on 8-31-2010 at 7:48 am

  2. Took a bit but I eventually got it

    posted by Chris on 8-31-2010 at 8:44 am

  3. Now THAT was a challenge!

    posted by Mark on 8-31-2010 at 9:02 am

  4. That took a while. I knew I’d get it eventually, but it surprised me how long all the alternative possibilities hung in there before allowing themselves to be eliminated.

    posted by Matthew E on 8-31-2010 at 9:08 am

  5. Tougher, but still worked it out in about a minute and a half.

    posted by Patrick on 8-31-2010 at 9:37 am

  6. Took me awhile. As usual though, it usually just takes finding the row/column where you can eliminate the most… just took longer without the one or two numbers to help.

    I thought the middle column of numbers was the easiest to eliminate possibilities/determine the answer.

    Definitely like no numbers vs. one or two numbers.

    posted by Steven on 8-31-2010 at 9:49 am

  7. OMG, I’m Lola, and you totally made my day!

    Internet superstardom here I come!!!!!

    But first I have to finish this Brain Game…This is way better without the clue.
    Thanks!

    posted by Lola on 8-31-2010 at 1:29 pm

  8. This was a real challenge.
    Thanks!
    No more clues, and this is a real game!

    posted by Lola on 8-31-2010 at 3:32 pm

  9. “Place the 10 digits in their correct spots so that the mathematical equations work both across and down”

    Shouldn’t that say to place the 9 digits in their correct spots?

    SANDY’S NOTE: Steven, you’re absolutely right. I had to adjust the rules to compensate for the lack of a given number, and I placed the wrong number there (I guess thinking 0-9 instead of 1-9). My bad, and it’s all fixed now. Thanks for the heads up!

    posted by Steven on 8-31-2010 at 3:56 pm

  10. what is the next letter in the series? A,A,A,S,A,O…?

    posted by Wheeler on 8-31-2010 at 6:00 pm

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