Upside-Down Magic Squares

Plate Representations
Generator for Any Order
Generator
Order n Variation no.
Variation no.: for the same order and digits there are many different magic squares. Each number 1, 2, 3, … gives another one; the same number always gives the same squares, so you can come back to them.
Digit families
Every family contains 6 and 9 (families without them are in the Upside-Down and Mirror Looking generator). Generate makes all of them for the chosen order, and the Index lists them all: magic squares that stay magic upside down, otherwise semi-magic squares (equal rows and columns).
Own digits any of 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9 · 6 and 9 always together (6 ↔ 9 upside down)
Export downloads hold every family of the chosen order with its upside-down view (order 3: every square found)
How the squares are built

Only the digits 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9 are used, drawn in seven-segment form. Turned upside down (180° in the plane of the plate) 0, 1, 2, 5 and 8 stay the same while 6 and 9 change into each other, so 6 and 9 always come together. The upside-down square is the square turned by 180°: the last row comes first, each row is read backwards, each number is read backwards and 6 ↔ 9. In water or in a mirror 6 and 9 have no meaning, so these plates are only turned in their own plane.

Every entry is a chain of digit groups, one group per layer; in every layer each row, each column and both diagonals contain the same symbols. Turning the square sends rows to rows, columns to columns and diagonals to diagonals, and reading a number backwards with 6 ↔ 9 only rewrites each group with other digits — so the upside-down square is magic again.

3-digit cells: palindromic entries a·b·a where each Latin square fits in one digit (orders 4, 5 and 7), and three-layer entries a·b·c built algebraically for orders 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 14. Order 3 comes from a complete computer search: with 6 and 9 it has upside-down magic squares only with 3- and 4-digit cells and the digits (2,5,6,8,9), (0,1,2,5,6,9) and (0,1,2,5,6,8,9); the other families give semi-magic squares. Order 6 gives semi-magic squares.

Index
Each plate turns by 180° in its own plane: the same square read upside down is again a magic square
Current Section

Controls

Play speed1.0×
Plate size230
Line thickness1.0
Line colour
Digit style
Original colour
Digit colour
Drag the plate to turn it by hand.

Plate & Upside-Down Turn

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The Three Pairs

Edit the original square (the upside-down view is derived automatically)

References

Based on the author's following research works:
  1. Inder J. Taneja, Upside-Down, Mirror Looking and Water Reflection Magic Squares: Orders 3 to 6, Zenodo, January 07, 2025, pp. 1-93, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14607070.
  2. Inder J. Taneja, Upside-Down, Mirror Looking and Water Reflection Magic Squares: Orders 7 to 10, Zenodo, January 07, 2025, pp. 1-171, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14607071.
  3. Inder J. Taneja, Upside-Down, Mirror Looking and Water Reflection Magic Squares: Orders 11 to 13, Zenodo, January 15, 2025, pp. 1-146, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14649320.
  4. Inder J. Taneja, Upside-Down, Mirror Looking and Water Reflection Magic Squares: Orders 14 to 16, Zenodo, January 15, 2024, pp. 1-140, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14649519.
  5. Inder J. Taneja, Upside-Down, Mirror Looking and Water Reflection Magic Squares: Orders 17 to 20, Zenodo, January 17, 2025, pp. 1-86, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14676293.
  6. Inder J. Taneja, Upside-Down, Mirror Looking and Water Reflection Magic Squares: Orders 21 to 23, Zenodo, January 20, 2025, pp. 1-83, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14688709.
  7. Inder J. Taneja, Upside-Down, Mirror Looking and Water Reflection Magic Squares: Order 24, Zenodo, January 20, 2025, pp. 1-150, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14700325.
  8. Inder J. Taneja, Upside-Down, Mirror Looking and Water Reflection Magic Squares: Order 25, Zenodo, January 21, 2025, pp. 1-79, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14715162.
  9. Inder J. Taneja, Online generator: Water-Reflection Magic Squares Generator