Mrs. Miniver's problem (original) (raw)

Mrs. Miniver's problem is a geometry problem about the area of circles. It asks how to place two circles and of given radii in such a way that the lens formed by intersecting their two interiors has equal area to the symmetric difference of and (the area contained in one but not both circles). It was named for an analogy between geometry and social dynamics enunciated by fictional character Mrs. Miniver, who "saw every relationship as a pair of intersecting circles". Its solution involves a transcendental equation.