Finding the Third Proportional to 31,428 and 72,738

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   31,428 : 72,738 = 72,738 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   31,428/72,738 = 72,738/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   31,428x = 72,738 × 72,738
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   31,428x = 5,290,816,644
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 5,290,816,644/31,428
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 168,347.23