Finding the Third Proportional to 42,172 and 85,556

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   42,172 : 85,556 = 85,556 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   42,172/85,556 = 85,556/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   42,172x = 85,556 × 85,556
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   42,172x = 7,319,829,136
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 7,319,829,136/42,172
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 173,570.83