Finding the Third Proportional to 34,538 and 73,978

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   34,538 : 73,978 = 73,978 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   34,538/73,978 = 73,978/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   34,538x = 73,978 × 73,978
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   34,538x = 5,472,744,484
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 5,472,744,484/34,538
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 158,455.74