Self-Complementary Magic Squares

Abstract

A \({magic\; square}\) of order \(n\) is an \(n \times n\) array of integers from \(1, 2, \ldots, n^2\) such that the sum of the integers in each row, column, and diagonal is the same number. Two magic squares are \({equivalent}\) if one can be obtained from the other by rotation or reflection. The \({complement}\) of a magic square \(M\) of order \(n\) is obtained by replacing every entry \(a\) with \(n^2 + 1 – a\), yielding another magic square. A magic square is \({self-complementary}\) if it is equivalent to its complement. In this paper, we prove a structural theorem characterizing self-complementary magic squares and present a method for constructing self-complementary magic squares of even order. Combining this construction with the structural theorem and known results on magic squares, we establish the existence of self-complementary magic squares of order \(n\) for every \(n \geq 3\).