A flat board has a circular hole with radius $1$ and a circular hole with radius $2$ such that the distance between the centers of the two holes is $7.$ Two spheres with equal radii sit in the two holes such that the spheres are tangent to each other. The square of the radius of the spheres is $\tfrac{m}{n},$ where $m$ and $n$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find $m+n.$
Set the common radius to $r$. First, take the cross section of the sphere sitting in the hole of radius $1$. If we draw the perpendicular bisector of the chord (the hole) through the circle, this line goes through the center. Connect the center also to where the chord hits the circle, for a right triangle with hypotenuse $r$ and base $1$. Therefore, the height of this circle outside of the hole is $\sqrt{r^2-1}$.
The other circle follows similarly for a height (outside the hole) of $\sqrt{r^2-4}$. Now, if we take the cross section of the entire board, essentially making it two-dimensional, we can connect the centers of the two spheres, then form another right triangle with base $7$, as given by the problem. The height of this triangle is the difference between the heights of the parts of the two spheres outside the holes, which is $\sqrt{r^2-1} - \sqrt{r^2-4}$. Now we can set up an equation in terms of $r$ with the Pythagorean theorem: \[\left(\sqrt{r^2-1} - \sqrt{r^2-4}\right)^2 + 7^2 = (2r)^2.\] Simplifying a few times,
\begin{align*} r^2 - 1 - 2\left(\sqrt{(r^2-1)(r^2-4)}\right) + r^2 - 4 + 49 &= 4r^2 \\ 2r^2-44 &= -2\left(\sqrt{(r^2-1)(r^2-4)}\right) \\ 22-r^2 &= \left(\sqrt{r^4 - 5r^2 + 4}\right) \\ r^4 -44r^2 + 484 &= r^4 - 5r^2 + 4 \\ 39r^2&=480 \\ r^2&=\frac{480}{39} = \frac{160}{13}. \end{align*}
Therefore, our answer is $\boxed{173}$.
~molocyxu