Square numbers:

1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100, …

1² = 1 × 1 2² = 2 × 2 3² = 3 × 3 4² = 4 × 4

1 4 9 16

The pattern of dots gives a clue as to where

the name square numbers come from…
 Order the numbers 1 to 15 so that any two
consecutive numbers sum to a square number

1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
8 1 15 10 6 3 13 12 4 5 11 14 2 7 9
Put the digits 1 to 9 in the spaces so that the
numbers, reading across, are all squares.
number square number square
1 1 17 289
2 4 18 324
3 9 19 361
4 16 20 400
5 25 21 441
6 36 22 484
7 49 23 529
8 64 24 576
9 81 25 625
10 100 26 676
11 121 27 729
12 144 28 784
13 169 29 841
14 196 30 900
15 225 31 961
16 256 32 1024

Can you prove there is only one solution?

Put the digits 1 to 9 in the spaces so that the
numbers, reading across, are all squares.
number square number square
1 1 17 289
1 2 4 18 324
3 9 19 361
4 16 20 400
2 5 5 25 21 441
6 36 22 484
7 49 23 529
7 8 4 8 64 24 576
9 81 25 625
10 100 26 676
3 6 11 121 27 729
12 144 28 784
13 169 29 841
9 14
15
196
225
30
31
900
961
16 256 32 1024

Can you prove there is only one solution?

Work out these sums:

1
1+3
1+3+5
1+3+5+7
1+3+5+7+9

What do you notice?

Hence work out 1+3+5+…+95+97+99

12 = 1
22 = 1+3
32 = 1+3+5
42 = 1+3+5+7
52 = 1+3+5+7+9
62 = 1+3+5+7+9+11
Write down a number and square it.

Write down the numbers 1 more and 1 less than

the number you first wrote down.

Multiply these two numbers together.

What do you notice?

Try some different starting numbers.

Make a conjecture and try to prove it.

What about if you multiplied together numbers 2

more and 2 less?
Use your results to quickly calculate:

a) 19 × 21

b) 48 × 52

c) 97 × 103

Create your own hard looking sums…

 Find the squares of some numbers ending in 5.
Can you spot the quick way of working out the answer?

number square Always ends in 25

5 25
15 225 The ‘rest’ can be found by
25 625 multiplying the number of tens by
35 1225 the number one greater than this
45 2025
55 3025 eg 1952 = 380 25
65 4225
75 5625
85 7225
19 x 20 Ends in 25
95 9025
105 11025 This result can be proved algebraically:
115 13225
125 15625 Hint: Express the number as 10x+5
10 x  52  100 x 2  100 x  25
 100 xx  1  25