Finding the Third Proportional to 31,898 and 74,504

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   31,898 : 74,504 = 74,504 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   31,898/74,504 = 74,504/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   31,898x = 74,504 × 74,504
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   31,898x = 5,550,846,016
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 5,550,846,016/31,898
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 174,018.62