
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
A triangular pyramid's base is a triangle with a length of 18 inches. Two planes are drawn parallel to the base, intersecting the other sides of the pyramid, and dividing the pyramid into three equal volumes. Find the area of the cross-section closest to the base created by one of these planes.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
user