To find the area of a circle, you can use the formula:
\[ A = \pi r^2 \]
Given that the diameter of the circle is 12 inches, we first need to find the radius. The radius \( r \) is half of the diameter:
\[ r = \frac{12}{2} = 6 \text{ inches} \]
Now we can substitute the radius into the area formula:
\[ A = 3.14 \times (6)^2 \] \[ A = 3.14 \times 36 \] \[ A = 113.04 \]
Thus, the area of the circle, rounded to the nearest hundredth, is:
\[ A \approx 113.04 \text{ in}^2 \]