Jeff asks:

> This is off topic.  My wife was observing a high school math
>  class and the homework assignment was as follows.  She asked me if
>  I could answer it.  My answer is .075, but I could be wrong.
>
>  Here is the question:
>
>  Assume 3 unit circles (radius = 1).  A point on the perimeter of each
>  circle is tangent to the other two perimeters.  There is another circle
>  inscribed in the middle space defined by the three larger circles.
>  The perimeter of this smaller circle has points tangent to the
>  perimeter of each of the three larger circles.  Find the area of the
>  small circle.

That's the answer I get also. More precisely, I get:

     a = 0.0751854014393126...

with the explicit answer being

     [7/3 - sqr(3) - 1/sqr(3)] * pi

Wirt Atmar