25
  • A $5\times5$ square has area $\pi$.
  • A $7\times7$ square has area $8$.
  • An $8\times8$ square has area $0$.
  • A $10\times10$ square has area $30$ (not quite $13$).

Why?

The answer should be clear when you find it, and does not involve arbitrary or tenuous connections.

Rand al'Thor
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1 Answers1

28

Can get by

Converting the letters to the answers into the alphabetic equivalent
pi 16+9 = 25 = 5x5
eight 5+9+7+8+20 = 49 = 7x7
zero 26+5+18+15 = 64 = 8x8
thirty 20+8+9+18+20+25 = 100 = 10x10
(thirteen 20+8+9+18+20+5+5+14 = 99 = nearly 100)

Lanny Strack
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  • Excellent! Well spotted. – Rand al'Thor Apr 02 '20 at 13:51
  • . Good puzzle! . – Lanny Strack Apr 02 '20 at 13:54
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    Funny story: this was almost a [tag:reverse-puzzling] challenge. I have a text file that I use for making notes while trying to solve various puzzles; today I was clearing up some obsolete stuff from now-fully-solved puzzles, and I found something rot13(nqqvat gur yrggref va MREB naq CV gb trg fvkgl-sbhe naq gjragl-svir). Even now I don't remember why I wrote that there or what I was trying to solve then, but I noticed the squares and thought, hey, that'd make a fun new puzzle! – Rand al'Thor Apr 02 '20 at 13:54