July 2013
Problem of the Month

Square Deal
by Paddy Smith
in GAMES May 2013

The sum of the squares of the first n positive integers is given by this formula:



The first 10 terms of this sequence are 1, 5, 14, 30, 55, 91, 140, 204, 285, 385.

What is the smallest number greater than 1 that is part of this sequence and that is also a perfect square?

Solution to the Problem:

The smallest number is 4,900 (when n = 24), which is 70 squared.

Correctly solved by:

1. Vikash Kumar	New Delhi, India
2. James Alarie	Flint, Michigan
3. William Vargo	Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher