Finding the Third Proportional to 33,538 and 72,908

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   33,538 : 72,908 = 72,908 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   33,538/72,908 = 72,908/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   33,538x = 72,908 × 72,908
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   33,538x = 5,315,576,464
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 5,315,576,464/33,538
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 158,494.14