Finding the Third Proportional to 144 and 279.38

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   144 : 279.38 = 279.38 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   144/279.38 = 279.38/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   144x = 279.38 × 279.38
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   144x = 78,050.39
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 78,050.39/144
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 542.02