Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 3.8 AMC 10/12 Find the answer Canada

The cells of a 3×33 \times 3 grid are to be filled with integers so that the average value of the entries along each row, each column, and each diagonal is the same. The integers 10, 64 and 70 are entered, as shown.

When the remaining six squares are filled in to complete the grid, what integer replaces xx?

Pick one

Solution

Suppose that the integer in the bottom left corner is nn.

In this case, the sum of the integers in the first column is 64+70+n64+70+n or n+134n+134.

Thus, the sum of the integers in each row, in each column, and on each diagonal also equals n+134n+134. (This means that this square is in fact a magic square, since the sum of the numbers in each row, in each column, and on each diagonal is the same.)

Using the top row, the top right integer equals (n+134)6410(n+134)-64-10 or n+60n+60.

Using the northeast diagonal, the centre integer equals (n+134)n(n+60)(n+134) - n - (n+60) or 74n74-n.

Using the second row, the middle integer in the right column equals (n+134)70(74n)(n+134)-70-(74-n) or 2n102n-10.

Using the southeast diagonal, the bottom right integer equals (n+134)64(74n)(n+134)-64 - (74-n) or 2n42n-4.

Using the third row, the middle integer is x=(n+134)n(2n4)=1382nx = (n+134)-n-(2n-4) = 138 - 2n. 6410n+607074n2n10n1382n2n4\begin{array}{|c|c|c|} \hline 64 & 10 & n+60 \\ \hline 70 & 74-n & 2n-10 \\ \hline n & 138-2n & 2n-4\\ \hline \end{array} Using the third column, (n+60)+(2n10)+(2n4)=n+1345n+46=n+1344n=88n=22\begin{aligned} (n+60)+(2n-10)+(2n-4) & = n + 134 \\ 5n + 46 & = n + 134 \\ 4n & = 88 \\ n & = 22\end{aligned} Therefore, x=1302n=13044=94x= 130-2n = 130 - 44 = 94 and the complete grid is $641082705234229440\begin{array}{|c|c|c|} \hline 64 & 10 & 82 \\ \hline 70 & 52 & 34 \\ \hline 22 & 94 & 40 \\ \hline \end{array}$ .

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Source: CEMC, University of Waterloo, licensed CC-BY-NC-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.