Know What Else He Did? He Tinkered with Math in His Spare Time! Below Is the Magic Square

CONSTITUTION DAY!Name=

AP Calculus

Do you know who signed the Constitution? Ben Franklin did! He did so many things… invented the stove, lightning rod, bifocals, founded the 1st US hospital, did the whole kite & key experiment, started the 1st insurance company, the 1st police department, the 1st fire department, was the 1st postmaster, wrote for newspapers, held government positions, was a businessman, a philosopher, abolitionist, salesman, merchant, humorist, traveler, published Poor Richards Almanac, drew the 1st cartoon in an American newspaper, and Benjamin Franklin became the only founding father to sign all five documents that made America independent: The Declaration of Independence, The Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France, The Treaty of Alliance with France, The Treaty of Peace with Great Britain, and The Constitution of the United States of America!

Know what else he did? He tinkered with math in his spare time! Below is the “Magic Square” he invented. Answer the questions that go along with the square to see what makes it pretty neat!

1.How many numbers are there?

2. Are any of the numbers repeated or omitted?

3.What is the sum of the numbers in the 1st row?

4.What is the sum of the numbers in the 2nd row?

5.What is the sum of the numbers in any row?

6.What is the sum of the numbers in the 1st column?

7.What is the sum of the numbers in the 2nd column?

8.What is the sum of the numbers in any column?

9.If you start in the upper left hand corner and add the numbers halfway down the column (52, 14, 53, & 11), what is the sum? How does this compare to the total sum of the entire column?

10.Add the last four numbers in the 1st column. What is their sum?

11.Try steps 9 & 10 with other columns. What do you find?

12.If you start in the upper left hand corner and add the numbers halfway across the row (52, 61, 4, & 13), what is the sum?

13.Add the last four numbers in the 1st row. What is their sum?

14.Try steps 12 & 13 with the other rows. What do you find?

15.Notice the corner where a postage stamp would go (36, 45, 30, 19). What is the sum?

16.Pick another block of four numbers, as in the problem above. What is the sum?

17.Is there any other numerical relationship you can find?

18.If you vertically separate the square into two rectangles in your mind, are the numbers from 1 to 10 on the right or the left?

19. Are the numbers from 54 to 64 on the right or the left?

20.Draw a line connecting the numbers in the Franklin Square in order from 1 to 64 (a highligher works nicely). What do you see?

Ms. Ferrante’s

Constitution Day Worksheet