# Not the squares you were looking for

• 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.

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)

• Excellent! Well spotted. – Rand al'Thor Apr 2 at 13:51
• . Good puzzle! . – Lanny Strack Apr 2 at 13:54
• Funny story: this was almost a 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 2 at 13:54