Consisting of eight different puzzles to solve, Substitution Magic Squares provides engaging substitution practice for your learners.

Section A, is made up of five magic squares and within them, each cell contains an expression in terms of a, b and c. Pupils are given a value for each variable. They must substitute these values in to find the value of each cell. Finally, pupils will find the sum of each row, column and diagonal of the magic square (which should all be the same) in order to identify the magic number. Learners will calculate with both positive and negative numbers.

Students will complete three of these puzzles in reverse in section B. Here, the magic squares are already filled with numbers. The challenge is to identify the magic number and the values for a, b and c.