Finding the Third Proportional to 42,040 and 87,976

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   42,040 : 87,976 = 87,976 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   42,040/87,976 = 87,976/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   42,040x = 87,976 × 87,976
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   42,040x = 7,739,776,576
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 7,739,776,576/42,040
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 184,105.06