Let's start from what we know.
[tex](1)\qquad\sum\limits_{k=1}^n1=\underbrace{1+1+\ldots+1}_{n}=n\cdot 1=n\\\\\\
(2)\qquad\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk=1+2+3+\ldots+n=\dfrac{n(n+1)}{2}\quad\text{(arithmetic series)}\\\\\\
(3)\qquad\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk\ \textgreater \ 0\quad\implies\quad\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk\right|=\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk[/tex]
Note that:
[tex]\sum\limits_{k=1}^n(-1)^k\cdot k^2=(-1)^1\cdot1^2+(-1)^2\cdot2^2+(-1)^3\cdot3^2+\dots+(-1)^n\cdot n^2=\\\\\\=-1^2+2^2-3^2+4^2-5^2+\dots\pm n^2[/tex]
(sign of last term will be + when n is even and - when n is odd).
Sum is finite so we can split it into two sums, first [tex]S_n^+[/tex] with only positive trems (squares of even numbers) and second [tex]S_n^- [/tex] with negative (squares of odd numbers). So:
[tex]\sum\limits_{k=1}^n(-1)^k\cdot k^2=S_n^+-S_n^-[/tex]
And now the proof.
1) n is even.
In this case, both [tex]S_n^+[/tex] and [tex]S_n^-[/tex] have [tex]\dfrac{n}{2}[/tex] terms. For example if n=8 then:
[tex]S_8^+=\underbrace{2^2+4^2+6^2+8^2}_{\frac{8}{2}=4}\qquad\text{(even numbers)}\\\\\\
S_8^-=\underbrace{1^2+3^2+5^2+7^2}_{\frac{8}{2}=4}\qquad\text{(odd numbers)}\\\\\\[/tex]
Generally, there will be:
[tex]S_n^+=\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}(2k)^2\\\\\\S_n^-=\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}(2k-1)^2\\\\\\[/tex]
Now, calculate our sum:
[tex]\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^n(-1)^k\cdot k^2\right|=\left|S_n^+-S_n^-\right|=
\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}(2k)^2-\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}(2k-1)^2\right|=\\\\\\=
\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}4k^2-\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}\left(4k^2-4k+1\right)\right|=\\\\\\[/tex]
[tex]=\left|4\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}k^2-4\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}k^2+4\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}k-\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}1\right|=\left|4\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}k-\sum\limits_{k=1}^\frac{n}{2}1\right|\stackrel{(1),(2)}{=}\\\\\\=
\left|4\dfrac{\frac{n}{2}(\frac{n}{2}+1)}{2}-\dfrac{n}{2}\right|=\left|2\cdot\dfrac{n}{2}\left(\dfrac{n}{2}+1\right)-\dfrac{n}{2}\right|=\left|n\left(\dfrac{n}{2}+1\right)-\dfrac{n}{2}\right|=\\\\\\
[/tex]
[tex]=\left|\dfrac{n^2}{2}+n-\dfrac{n}{2}\right|=\left|\dfrac{n^2}{2}+\dfrac{n}{2}\right|=\left|\dfrac{n^2+n}{2}\right|=\left|\dfrac{n(n+1)}{2}\right|\stackrel{(2)}{=}\\\\\\\stackrel{(2)}{=}
\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk\right|\stackrel{(3)}{=}\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk[/tex]
So in this case we prove, that:
[tex]\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^n(-1)^k\cdot k^2\right|=\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk[/tex]
2) n is odd.
Here, [tex]S_n^-[/tex] has more terms than [tex]S_n^+[/tex]. For example if n=7 then:
[tex]S_7^-=\underbrace{1^2+3^2+5^2+7^2}_{\frac{n+1}{2}=\frac{7+1}{2}=4}\\\\\\
S_7^+=\underbrace{2^2+4^4+6^2}_{\frac{n+1}{2}-1=\frac{7+1}{2}-1=3}\\\\\\[/tex]
So there is [tex]\dfrac{n+1}{2}[/tex] terms in [tex]S_n^-[/tex], [tex]\dfrac{n+1}{2}-1[/tex] terms in [tex]S_n^+[/tex] and:
[tex]S_n^+=\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}-1}(2k)^2\\\\\\
S_n^-=\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}(2k-1)^2[/tex]
Now, we can calculate our sum:
[tex]\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^n(-1)^k\cdot k^2\right|=\left|S_n^+-S_n^-\right|=
\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}-1}(2k)^2-\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}(2k-1)^2\right|=\\\\\\=
\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}-1}4k^2-\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}\left(4k^2-4k+1\right)\right|=\\\\\\=
\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n-1}{2}-1}4k^2-\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}4k^2+\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}4k-\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}1\right|=\\\\\\[/tex]
[tex]=\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n-1}{2}-1}4k^2-\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}-1}4k^2-4\left(\dfrac{n+1}{2}\right)^2+\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}4k-\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}1\right|=\\\\\\=
\left|-4\left(\dfrac{n+1}{2}\right)^2+4\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}k-\sum\limits_{k=1}^{\frac{n+1}{2}}1\right|\stackrel{(1),(2)}{=}\\\\\\
\stackrel{(1),(2)}{=}\left|-4\dfrac{n^2+2n+1}{4}+4\dfrac{\frac{n+1}{2}\left(\frac{n+1}{2}+1\right)}{2}-\dfrac{n+1}{2}\right|=\\\\\\[/tex]
[tex]=\left|-n^2-2n-1+2\cdot\dfrac{n+1}{2}\left(\dfrac{n+1}{2}+1\right)-\dfrac{n+1}{2}\right|=\\\\\\=
\left|-n^2-2n-1+(n+1)\left(\dfrac{n+1}{2}+1\right)-\dfrac{n+1}{2}\right|=\\\\\\=
\left|-n^2-2n-1+\dfrac{(n+1)^2}{2}+n+1-\dfrac{n+1}{2}\right|=\\\\\\=
\left|-n^2-n+\dfrac{n^2+2n+1}{2}-\dfrac{n+1}{2}\right|=\\\\\\=
\left|-n^2-n+\dfrac{n^2}{2}+n+\dfrac{1}{2}-\dfrac{n}{2}-\dfrac{1}{2}\right|=\left|-\dfrac{n^2}{2}-\dfrac{n}{2}\right|=\left|-\dfrac{n^2+n}{2}\right|=\\\\\\[/tex]
[tex]=\left|-\dfrac{n(n+1)}{2}\right|=|-1|\cdot\left|\dfrac{n(n+1)}{2}\right|=\left|\dfrac{n(n+1)}{2}\right|\stackrel{(2)}{=}\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk\right|\stackrel{(3)}{=}\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk[/tex]
We consider all possible n so we prove that:
[tex]\forall_{n\in\mathbb{N}}\quad\left|\sum\limits_{k=1}^n(-1)^k\cdot k^2\right|=\sum\limits_{k=1}^nk[/tex]
