Answer
$x = \frac{34}{7}$
Work Step by Step
A proportion takes the following form:
$\frac{a}{b} = \frac{c}{d}$, where $a$ and $d$ are the extremes and $b$ and $c$ are the means.
In this exercise, $a = 5$, $b = 7$, $c = x - 2$, and $d = 4$.
The extremes are $5$ and $4$. The means are $7$ and $x - 2$.
Let's solve for $x$:
$\frac{5}{7} = \frac{x - 2}{4}$
Use the cross products property to get rid of the fractions:
$7(x - 2) = 20$
Use the distributive property on the left side of the equation:
$7x - 14 = 20$
Add $14$ to each side of the equation to move constants to the right side of the equation:
$7x = 34$
Divide each side by $7$ to solve for $x$:
$x = \frac{34}{7}$
