Finding the Third Proportional to 31,880 and 74,072

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   31,880 : 74,072 = 74,072 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   31,880/74,072 = 74,072/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   31,880x = 74,072 × 74,072
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   31,880x = 5,486,661,184
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 5,486,661,184/31,880
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 172,103.55