Finding the Third Proportional to 42,532 and 87,188

Step by Step Solution

1. Step 1: Write the proportion equation
   42,532 : 87,188 = 87,188 : x
2. Step 2: Convert to fraction form
   42,532/87,188 = 87,188/x
3. Step 3: Cross multiply
   42,532x = 87,188 × 87,188
4. Step 4: Simplify right side
   42,532x = 7,601,747,344
5. Step 5: Solve for x
   x = 7,601,747,344/42,532
6. Step 6: Final answer
   x = 178,730.07