Finding the Third Proportional to 31,452 and 74,142

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   31,452 : 74,142 = 74,142 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   31,452/74,142 = 74,142/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   31,452x = 74,142 × 74,142
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   31,452x = 5,497,036,164
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 5,497,036,164/31,452
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 174,775.41