A magic square is a square of numbers with each row, column, and diagonal of the square adding up to the same sum, called the magic sum. Arrange the numbers,

-1,0,1,2,3,4,5,6,and 7 into a magic square. How does the average of these numbers compare with the magic sum?

You just start from any 3 by 3 magic square, e.g.:

2 9 4

7 5 3

6 1 8

If you subtract 2 from each number you get a magic square that contains the numbers ranging from -1 to 7

To determine whether the average of the numbers that make up the magic square is the same as the magic sum, we need to calculate both values.

First, let's find the sum of the numbers:
-1 + 0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 27

Next, since it's a 3x3 magic square, we need to calculate the magic sum. The magic sum is the sum that each row, column, and diagonal of the square should add up to. Since there are three rows/columns/diagonals, we divide the sum of the numbers by 3:
27 / 3 = 9

Now, let's calculate the average of the numbers:
27 / 9 = 3

Therefore, the average of the numbers in the magic square is 3.

Comparing the average with the magic sum, we can see that they are equal.