Magic Square
I didn't realize that this question was the one mentioned in one of the most famous Chinese Wuxia novel until later on. This question was called "Jiu Gong Ge", meaning there are 9 squares. It was my favorite novel written by Yong Jin and it was my childhood memory!
When I first thought about how to solve this problem, I didn't have any clue. I just put the numbers randomly into the square boxes and see if they would add up to 15. It didn't work.
Then I knew I needed to find the middle number in order to solve the problem. I started to look for all possible combinations of 3 numbers which add up to be 15. I found out that 5 must be the number in the middle since it is the only one number when adding together with other two different numbers equals 15 but also include the rest of the 8 numbers.
Once I found 5 as the middle number, I figured out how the combinations of the 8 numbers which add up equals 15. Finally just put the numbers into the square boxes and make sure the row, columns and diagonals add together all equal 15.
Well done Ivy! Those work sheets aren't ugly -- they are the traces of your mathematical thinking, and that is always beautiful and fascinating.
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