Answer:
[tex]assume \: the \: number \: and \: foll[/tex]
[tex]let \: the \: three \: numbers \: be \: abc [/tex]
as they are in continued proportion
[tex]b {}^{2} = abc[/tex]
given that mean proportional is 12
: b=12
so
[tex]12 {}^{2} = ac[/tex]
144 = ac
c=144\a
the sum of the two numbers
a+c=26
a+144\a=26
step 2: simplify using factorization
[tex] = a {}^{2} + 144 - 26a = 0 \\ = a { }^{2} - 18a - 8a + 144 = 0 \\ = a(a - 18) - 8(a - 18) = 0 \\ = (a - 18)(a - 8) = 0 \\ = a = 18 \: or \: a = 8 \\ = c = 8 \: or \: c = 18 [/tex]
a=18 or a=8
c=8 or c=18
hence the numbers are 8,12,18 or 18,12,8
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