Unraveling the secret of Benjamin Franklin: Constructing Franklin squares of higher order

TL;DR

This paper reveals the method behind Benjamin Franklin's mysterious squares and provides a general construction technique for creating Franklin squares of any size.

Contribution

It uncovers Franklin's secret construction method and extends it to higher-order squares, enabling systematic creation of Franklin squares.

Findings

A general construction method for Franklin squares of any order

Demonstration of Franklin's original squares using the new method

Potential applications in combinatorics and recreational mathematics

Abstract

Benjamin Franklin constructed three squares which have amazing properties, and his method of construction has been a mystery to date. In this article, we divulge his secret and show how to construct such squares for any order.