The_History_Of_Magic_Squares

The History Of Magic Squares Very little is known about the origin of magic squares. Next to nothing is known about the movement of the idea of a magic square before about 1300 AD. Three cultures are known to have created magic squares, the Chinese, the Indian, and the Arabic. In each culture they were viewed as having supernatural properties. The first magic square in history was created in China by an unknown mathematician, sometime before the first century AD. “Called the Lo Shu square, it is a magic square of 3 that was said to have appeared on the back of a turtle that came up out of the river. Lo Shu supposedly means "river map," and the story of the appearance of the turtle had to do with a sacrifice to the river god” (http://freespace.virgin.net/mark.farrar1/msqhst01.htm). In 80 AD Ta Tai Li Chi gives the first clear reference to a magic square. In 570 AD, Shuzun gives an actual description of a magic square of 3. Not until 1275 do we hear of the Chinese making squares of order larger than 3. We find the first magic square of 4 in the first century in India by a mathematician named magic, squares, square, known, first, arabs, ad, about, india, properties, indian, century, unknown, river, mathematics, mathematician, before, arab, turtle, though, shu, next, much, making, lo, jaina, having, gives, date, culture, created, chinese, came