Finding the Third Proportional to 20,500 and 42,276

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   20,500 : 42,276 = 42,276 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   20,500/42,276 = 42,276/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   20,500x = 42,276 × 42,276
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   20,500x = 1,787,260,176
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 1,787,260,176/20,500
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 87,183.42