Parker Square! :) # Randomly try to get lucky and find a magic square with all square numbers. # Idea came from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1m7goLCJDY

parker_square.py

## Parker Square! :)
# Randomly try to get lucky and find a magic square with all square numbers.
# Idea came from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1m7goLCJDY

import sys, random, pprint

rand = random.SystemRandom()

square_size = 3
square_step_x = list(range(square_size))
square_step_y = list(range(square_size))
square = []
for x in square_step_x:
    square.append( [] )
    for y in square_step_y:
        square[x].append(y)

while True:
    # use system max as totally arbitrary upper int limit for random values
    unique_vals = []
    while len(unique_vals) < square_size ** 2:
        new_val = rand.randint(0,sys.maxsize) ** 2
        if not new_val in unique_vals:
            unique_vals.append(new_val)
            
    for x in square_step_x:
        for y in square_step_y:
            square[x][y] = unique_vals.pop()
    
    # do we have a magic square?
    diag_sum_1 = 0
    diag_sum_2 = 0
    c_sums = [0 for x in square_step_y]
    r_sums = []
    for x in square_step_x:
        r_sums.append( 0 )
        for y in square_step_y:
            r_sums[x] += square[x][y]
            c_sums[y] += square[x][y]
            if x == y:
                diag_sum_1 += square[x][y]
            if x == (square_size - 1 - y):
                diag_sum_2 += square[x][y]
    no_match = False
    for x in [ diag_sum_2 ] + c_sums + r_sums:
        if diag_sum_1 != x:
            # one of them didn't match... start next iteration of while loop.
            no_match = True
            break
    
    if not no_match:        
        # if we got here, it's a win! Print the square
        print('Winner!')
        pprint.pprint(square)