Square Root of 225 = 15

√225 = 15, because 15 × 15 = 225

√225 = 15. 225 is a perfect square, so its root is the whole number 15: multiply 15 by itself and you get 225 exactly. Below is where that answer comes from, how to check it in one step, and how to estimate any square root without a calculator.

The square root of 225

√225 = 15. The square root of a number is whatever you have to multiply by itself to get that number, and 15 × 15 = 225, so 15 is the answer.

225 is a perfect square — it is 15 squared — which means its root is a whole number with nothing left over. Strictly there are two numbers that square to 225, because −15 × −15 = 225 as well, but "the square root of 225" on its own means the positive one: 15.

In words: the square root of two hundred and twenty-five is fifteen.

How to check the answer

Squaring is the way back. 15 × 15 = 225, so the root is right. That check costs one multiplication and catches every slip.

It also gives you the fact in reverse: 15 squared is 225, written 15² = 225. Square roots and squares are the same fact read in opposite directions, exactly the way multiplication and division are.

Estimating a square root in your head

Find the two square numbers it falls between and you have already bracketed the answer. 225 and 256 are 15² and 16², and 225 lies exactly on one of them.

To sharpen the estimate, see how far along the gap the number sits. From 225 to 256 is a jump of 31, and 225 is 0 of the way in, so the root lands roughly 15. That linear guess is usually right to within a tenth, which is plenty for a sanity check.

Knowing the square numbers up to 25² by heart is what makes this instant. They are 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100, 121, 144, 169, 196, 225, 256, 289, 324, 361, 400, 441, 484, 529, 576 and 625.

Where square roots actually get used

Square roots turn up any time an area, a distance or a spread has to be turned back into a length. The diagonal of a rectangle, the standard deviation of a set of numbers, the distance between two points on a grid — all of them finish with a square root.

That is why estimating one quickly is worth more than memorising a decimal. Being able to say "√225 is a bit exactly 15" in a second is what keeps a longer calculation moving.

Frequently asked questions

What is the square root of 225?

The square root of 225 is 15, because 15 × 15 = 225.

Is 225 a perfect square?

Yes. 225 is 15 squared, so its square root is the whole number 15.

What is 15 squared?

15 × 15 = 225. Squaring is the inverse of taking a square root, so it is also the way to check a root you have just worked out.

How do you work out √225 without a calculator?

Bracket it between the two nearest square numbers — 225 and 256 — then judge how far along the gap 225 sits. That gets you to roughly 15, which is close enough for almost any mental check.

The square numbers up to 25² each have a page here, and the square numbers index lists them all in order.