Question

Arrange the integers 1,4,8,12,17,32 so that all consecutive integers add to a perfect square. Enter your answer with numbers separated by commas.​

Answer 1

One possible answer is: 1, 8, 17, 32, 4, 12

I don't know if there's a methodical way to get this answer. I used trial and error. I started with 1 and looked through the list to see what adds to 1 to get a perfect square. That would be 8 since 1+8 = 9 = 3^2

The process is repeated but this time for 8. After a bit of guess and checking, we see that 8+17 = 25 = 5^2.

Then after 17 is 32 because 17+32 = 49 = 7^2.

Keep doing this until all of the values are used up. If you get stuck, then try backtracking to a previous branch/path where everything worked and try another fork in the road. If that doesn't work, then try starting the sequence with a completely different value (instead of 1).

Other answers may be possible. I haven't checked all possible permutations.