Three circles touch the one another externally. The tangent at their point of contact meet at a point whose distance from a point of contact is $$4$$. Find the ratio of the product of the radii to the sum of the radii of the circles.

The sides of a triangle are three consecutive natural numbers and its largest angle is twice the smallest one. Determine the sides of the triangle.

A man notices two objects in a straight line due west. After walking a distance $$c$$ due north he observes that the objects subtend an angle $$\alpha $$ at his eye; and, after walking a further distance $$2c$$ due north, an angle $$\beta $$. Show that the distance between the objects is $${{8c} \over {3\cot \beta - \cot \alpha }}$$; the height of the man is being ignored.

In a triangle of base a the ratio of the other two sides is $$r\left( { < 1} \right)$$. Show that the altitude of the triangle is less than of equal to $${{ar} \over {1 - {r^2}}}$$