How To: Use cross products to solve proportions

To solve a proportion for a variable you should employ cross multiplication. The basis of cross multiplication is the property which states that the product of the numerator of one fraction and the denominator of what it is set equal to is equal to the product of the remaining denominator and numerator. For example if you have x/15=21/45 you simply need to multiply x by 45 and 15 by 21 then set them equal to each other. The result of this is 45x=315. To solve this new problem for x, divide both sides by 45. The final result of this is x=7. This skill is important for many word and trigonometry problems.