Home·Square roots

Square roots of 1 to 200

The rounded decimal and the exact simplified surd, side by side: √50 is 7.071068 and also 5√2.

The fourteen perfect squares

Only fourteen of them come out whole below 200. The other 186 are irrational — their decimals never end.

Roots that simplify

These have a square factor to pull out. On an exam this form, not 7.07, is the right answer.

How the surd is simplified

Pull out the largest square factor. Since 50 = 25 × 2, the root of 25 comes out as 5 and the 2 stays behind: 5√2.

From 1 to 200

How to read this

  • The decimal is rounded; the surd form is the exact value.
  • Pulling out a square factor simplifies the surd — √50 = 5√2.
  • If the number is not a perfect square, the decimal never ends (irrational).
  • Knowing which two integers it sits between is enough to estimate in your head.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Why is √50 equal to 5√2?

Split 50 into 25 × 2. Since 25 is a square, its root 5 comes out; the 2 has no square factor left, so it stays under the sign.

Q. Can I just use the decimal?

It depends. For measuring, 7.07 is easier; in a maths answer the unrounded 5√2 is what counts as correct.

Q. What does irrational mean?

It cannot be written as a fraction, and its decimal neither ends nor repeats. Any square root of a non-square is like this.

Q. How do I estimate one in my head?

Find the nearest perfect square. For √50, 49 is 7², so the answer is just above 7.

Q. Why stop at 200?

Because the numbers people look up are mostly two-digit, or the ones from the table like 100, 144 and 169.