Finding the Third Proportional to 42,038 and 87,972

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   42,038 : 87,972 = 87,972 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   42,038/87,972 = 87,972/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   42,038x = 87,972 × 87,972
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   42,038x = 7,739,072,784
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 7,739,072,784/42,038
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 184,097.07