Posted on 08/05/2011 10:53:16 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows
Nobody has to tell you that it’s a rough job market. So when you do finagle a job interview, you’ll want to shine.
-snip-
Procter & Gamble: Sell me an invisible pen.
Facebook: Twenty five racehorses, no stopwatch, five tracks. Figure out the top three fastest horses in the fewest number of races.
Citigroup: What is your strategy at table tennis?
Google: You are climbing a staircase. Each time you can either take one step or two. The staircase has n steps. In how many distinct ways can you climb the staircase?
Capital One: How do you evaluate Subway’s five-foot long sub policy?
Gryphon Scientific: How many cocktail umbrellas are there in a given time in the United States?
Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Would you be okay hearing “no” from seven out of 10 customers.
Goldman Sachs: Suppose you had eight identical balls. One of them is slightly heavier and you are given a balance scale. What’s the fewest number of times you have to use the scale to find the heavier ball?
Towers Watson: Estimate how many planes are there in the sky.
Lubin Lawrence: If you could describe Hershey, Godiva and Dove chocolate as people, how would you describe them?
Pottery Barn: If I was a genie and could give you your dream job, what and where would it be?
Kiewit Corp.: What did you play with as a child?
VWR International: How would you market a telescope in 1750 when no one knows about orbits, moons etc.
Diageo North America: If you walk into a liquor store to count the unsold bottles, but the clerk is screaming at you to leave, what do you do?
Brown & Brown Insurance: How would you rate your life on a scale of 1 to 10?
(Excerpt) Read more at moneywatch.bnet.com ...
Ah, yeah. It’s twice. Three and three. If they are equal weigh the remaining two. If not, weigh two of the three on the heavier side. Darn. Just goes to show I need to think before I post.
Interviewer: “I see you’re from the 70’s. Did you do any drugs?”
Friend: “Yes”.
Interviewer: “Which ones?”
Friend : “I don’t know!”
To be absolutely sure, I’d say three. My resoning: Place 4 balls on each side of the balance scale. The side that sinks contains the heavier ball. (That’s one.) Divide those four into groups of two and place on the scale. The heavier on is in the remaining two. (That’s two.) Take those two and place one one each side of the scale. The heavier ball sinks. (That’s three.)
It’s twice. See my post #21
You can do it in two. See my post #21.
“If that is the case, I would say three..”
That’s what I said when I saw this the other week too. But it’s “2”.
IIRC, You put 3 balls on one scale , 3 ont he other and leave 2 on the floor. If the scales balance, the heavy one is on the floor and can be found in one more weighing.
If the scales don’t balance, you take the balls of theavy side and put one on each side and one on the floor.
Again, if they balance, the heavy one is on the floor. Otherwise the scale shows you where it is.
Pretty neat,
LOL
One is the minimum if you just get lucky by measuring one against another. After all the question is "What’s the fewest number of times you have to use the scale to find the heavier ball? "
Or the answer could be zero. Just get Goldman's friends in the Treasury to deem one of the balls to be heavier and declare that it is too big to be tested. You can probably get Moody's and S&P to rate the ball declared to be heaviest AAA without looking too closely.
8 balls.
2 groups of 4.
Remove 1 from each group, set aside.
Weigh groups, 3 vs. 3. [first weighing]
If even, weigh the set-aside two, note heavier one. [second weighing]
Otherwise...
Note heavier group, discard other balls.
Set one aside from heavier group.
Weigh other two. [alternate second weighing]
If even, set-aside ball is heavier.
Otherwise...
Note heavier ball on scale.
Yep.
I know. I figured it out right after I clicked “post”. See my #21 above.
“Citigroup: What is your strategy at table tennis?”
I don’t play table tennis.
“With this telescope, you can view naked girls bathing from 300 yards away.”
You’re absolutely correct. I’m going to think about that one.
“Capital One: How do you evaluate Subway’s five-foot long sub policy? “
I have no need use or purpose for a five foot long sub sandwich, so this question is irrelevant.
The fewest number you 'could' use it to find the heavier one is once. The minimum number of times you'd need to determine for sure, every time, is three, but forget that reality nonsense. Now, why do you want to work for Goldman Sachs, or in other words, how well do you blow smoke up skirts?
I would find an expert, and delegate.
“Gryphon Scientific: How many cocktail umbrellas are there in a given time in the United States?”
He’s been to the Blue Oyster again, hasn’t he?
Right: once, per “fewest...have to”.
Actually, you can do it in two.
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