logical interview question...
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a waitress brings a man a cup of coffee with a match in it ... the man sees that and asks for another cup ... the waitress goes back and brings another cup of coffee ... how does the man know if its not the same cup of coffee? http://www.boreddude.com
Break the damn cup of coffee, destroy everything on the coffee shop, shoot the waitress 3 times in the head and enjoy the loot! Now, would you hire me? I see dead pixels Yes, even I am blogging now!
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a waitress brings a man a cup of coffee with a match in it ... the man sees that and asks for another cup ... the waitress goes back and brings another cup of coffee ... how does the man know if its not the same cup of coffee? http://www.boreddude.com
Pete Madden wrote: how does the man know if its not the same cup of coffee? A) It is a matter of exchanged trust. If the waitress is one you know and trust, you need provide not test of that trust. She knows she will get a better tip from you by doing what is right, you know you will get the right cup for the same reason. Although I cannot imagine a waitress whom I trust giving me a cup with a match in it... so on to B. B) Where trust has not been earned through shared experience, it is often tested. a bit of cream in the coffee makes the floating objects show up better to point out, and provides a test of trust. As someone else said, if it comes back black, it's a fresh cup. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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a waitress brings a man a cup of coffee with a match in it ... the man sees that and asks for another cup ... the waitress goes back and brings another cup of coffee ... how does the man know if its not the same cup of coffee? http://www.boreddude.com
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Break the damn cup of coffee, destroy everything on the coffee shop, shoot the waitress 3 times in the head and enjoy the loot! Now, would you hire me? I see dead pixels Yes, even I am blogging now!
yes I would ... if I plan to leave the company soon :) http://www.boreddude.com
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yes I would ... if I plan to leave the company soon :) http://www.boreddude.com
Pete Madden wrote: yes I would ... if I plan to leave the company soon But isn't my way of solving the problem "thinking outside the box"? I see dead pixels Yes, even I am blogging now!
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Pete Madden wrote: yes I would ... if I plan to leave the company soon But isn't my way of solving the problem "thinking outside the box"? I see dead pixels Yes, even I am blogging now!
Daniel Turini wrote: But isn't my way of solving the problem "thinking outside the box"? I would classify it as "destroying the box" rather than thinking inside or outside. Thinking outside the box would be to pull out your notepad and start taking notes on service to turn into a magazine (ficticious or otherwise) in order to have all of the staff trying to make up for that cup with the match so that you get better than average service from there on. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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a waitress brings a man a cup of coffee with a match in it ... the man sees that and asks for another cup ... the waitress goes back and brings another cup of coffee ... how does the man know if its not the same cup of coffee? http://www.boreddude.com
There is not enough information to answer it. Coffee has match in it: - We don't know when he asked for another cup immediately or after drinking the first one. - The man may have removed the match. - He may not have even been bothered by the match and just wanted more coffee. The waitress brings another cup: - Did she leave the old one or take it with her? - Another cup in many restaurants means a refill not a new cup. How does the man know: - He doesn't. To many unknowns. We don't even know if he's drinking the coffee. He might now have 2 cups for no reason.
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
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a waitress brings a man a cup of coffee with a match in it ... the man sees that and asks for another cup ... the waitress goes back and brings another cup of coffee ... how does the man know if its not the same cup of coffee? http://www.boreddude.com
How stupid do *I* have to be to screw up this question. It's 9 balls not 8. ARGGHHH! With 8 balls it's trivial it falls right out. There's 9 :doh: You have a classic scale. You put known weights on one side to calculate the unknown weight of the other. = You have 9 balls all the same size. No visible characteristics make one appear larger or smaller but one of them weighs more. = What is the least number of measurements used to isolate the heaviest ball. {Sorry it's been 4 years since I last thought about this. Now I remember the question.} This can be done I got it in my interview at my last job before I went on my own. It was an 8 hour interview filled with crud like this. (I later learned that most people *do not* get this and the fact I *did* got me hired. LAME!!!) - Rex
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
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Pete Madden wrote: how does the man know if its not the same cup of coffee? A) It is a matter of exchanged trust. If the waitress is one you know and trust, you need provide not test of that trust. She knows she will get a better tip from you by doing what is right, you know you will get the right cup for the same reason. Although I cannot imagine a waitress whom I trust giving me a cup with a match in it... so on to B. B) Where trust has not been earned through shared experience, it is often tested. a bit of cream in the coffee makes the floating objects show up better to point out, and provides a test of trust. As someone else said, if it comes back black, it's a fresh cup. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
but what if the coffee was a latte? cheers, Chris Maunder
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but what if the coffee was a latte? cheers, Chris Maunder
Chris Maunder wrote: but what if the coffee was a latte? Never buy a latte from someone you don't trust. :-D _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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There is not enough information to answer it. Coffee has match in it: - We don't know when he asked for another cup immediately or after drinking the first one. - The man may have removed the match. - He may not have even been bothered by the match and just wanted more coffee. The waitress brings another cup: - Did she leave the old one or take it with her? - Another cup in many restaurants means a refill not a new cup. How does the man know: - He doesn't. To many unknowns. We don't even know if he's drinking the coffee. He might now have 2 cups for no reason.
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
code-frog wrote: We don't even know if he's drinking the coffee. Blasphemy!!! ;P _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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How stupid do *I* have to be to screw up this question. It's 9 balls not 8. ARGGHHH! With 8 balls it's trivial it falls right out. There's 9 :doh: You have a classic scale. You put known weights on one side to calculate the unknown weight of the other. = You have 9 balls all the same size. No visible characteristics make one appear larger or smaller but one of them weighs more. = What is the least number of measurements used to isolate the heaviest ball. {Sorry it's been 4 years since I last thought about this. Now I remember the question.} This can be done I got it in my interview at my last job before I went on my own. It was an 8 hour interview filled with crud like this. (I later learned that most people *do not* get this and the fact I *did* got me hired. LAME!!!) - Rex
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
Well, since you've told me that one ball is heavier than the others the difficulty of the problem is reduced by an order of magnitude. This becomes a simple binary search. The heavier ball can be found in a minimum maximum of log(8)=3 moves. (base 2 of course). 1 - Place 4 balls on each plate. The lower side contains the heavier ball. Toss the 4 balls from the light side. 2 - Place 2 balls on each plate. Once again toss the light side. 3 - Place 1 ball on each plate. The heavier side indicates the desired ball. Now, if you really want to make the problem difficult, consider 8 balls that are identical in every way except that one of the balls has a different weight. What is the least number of measurements to locate the different ball and is it heavier or lighter than the other balls. -Sean ---- Shag a Lizard
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Well, since you've told me that one ball is heavier than the others the difficulty of the problem is reduced by an order of magnitude. This becomes a simple binary search. The heavier ball can be found in a minimum maximum of log(8)=3 moves. (base 2 of course). 1 - Place 4 balls on each plate. The lower side contains the heavier ball. Toss the 4 balls from the light side. 2 - Place 2 balls on each plate. Once again toss the light side. 3 - Place 1 ball on each plate. The heavier side indicates the desired ball. Now, if you really want to make the problem difficult, consider 8 balls that are identical in every way except that one of the balls has a different weight. What is the least number of measurements to locate the different ball and is it heavier or lighter than the other balls. -Sean ---- Shag a Lizard
Can solve in 2 moves (the first problem). 1 - Place 3 balls in each side. If both sides have the same weight: 2- Test the 2 remaining balls. Else 2- Test 2 of the 3 balls in the heaviest side. If they have same weight the heaviest is the one left out, else ... Rui A. Rebelo De perto, ninguém é normal. (At a close look, no one is normal) C. Veloso
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Can solve in 2 moves (the first problem). 1 - Place 3 balls in each side. If both sides have the same weight: 2- Test the 2 remaining balls. Else 2- Test 2 of the 3 balls in the heaviest side. If they have same weight the heaviest is the one left out, else ... Rui A. Rebelo De perto, ninguém é normal. (At a close look, no one is normal) C. Veloso
oops, what I meant to say was it would take a maximum of 3 moves. Yeah, that's it. :doh: -Sean ---- Shag a Lizard
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How stupid do *I* have to be to screw up this question. It's 9 balls not 8. ARGGHHH! With 8 balls it's trivial it falls right out. There's 9 :doh: You have a classic scale. You put known weights on one side to calculate the unknown weight of the other. = You have 9 balls all the same size. No visible characteristics make one appear larger or smaller but one of them weighs more. = What is the least number of measurements used to isolate the heaviest ball. {Sorry it's been 4 years since I last thought about this. Now I remember the question.} This can be done I got it in my interview at my last job before I went on my own. It was an 8 hour interview filled with crud like this. (I later learned that most people *do not* get this and the fact I *did* got me hired. LAME!!!) - Rex
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
2 steps
Pandoras Gift #44: Hope. The one that keeps you on suffering.
aber.. "Wie gesagt, der Scheiss is' Therapie"
boost your code || Fold With Us! || sighist | doxygen -
Well, since you've told me that one ball is heavier than the others the difficulty of the problem is reduced by an order of magnitude. This becomes a simple binary search. The heavier ball can be found in a minimum maximum of log(8)=3 moves. (base 2 of course). 1 - Place 4 balls on each plate. The lower side contains the heavier ball. Toss the 4 balls from the light side. 2 - Place 2 balls on each plate. Once again toss the light side. 3 - Place 1 ball on each plate. The heavier side indicates the desired ball. Now, if you really want to make the problem difficult, consider 8 balls that are identical in every way except that one of the balls has a different weight. What is the least number of measurements to locate the different ball and is it heavier or lighter than the other balls. -Sean ---- Shag a Lizard
I'm a moron. I told you 8 now that I sit and think about it it's 9. While this does not make me an idiot it sure comes close to proving it. :doh:
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
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oops, what I meant to say was it would take a maximum of 3 moves. Yeah, that's it. :doh: -Sean ---- Shag a Lizard
I'm a moron. I told you 8 now that I sit and think about it it's 9. While this does not make me an idiot it sure comes close to proving it. :doh:
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
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2 steps
Pandoras Gift #44: Hope. The one that keeps you on suffering.
aber.. "Wie gesagt, der Scheiss is' Therapie"
boost your code || Fold With Us! || sighist | doxygenI'm a moron. I told you 8 now that I sit and think about it it's 9. While this does not make me an idiot it sure comes close to proving it. :doh:
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
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Chris Maunder wrote: but what if the coffee was a latte? Never buy a latte from someone you don't trust. :-D _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
Jeffry J. Brickley wrote: but what if the coffee was a latte? Don't know why but this reminds me of... "In God We Trust, all others must have good credit." {Sign seen at car dealer ship.}
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
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I'm a moron. I told you 8 now that I sit and think about it it's 9. While this does not make me an idiot it sure comes close to proving it. :doh:
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
You still can solve in 2 moves. 1- Place 3 in each side. 2- If they are in equilibrium test 2 of the remainder group. If not test 2 of the heaviest group. In second test if they remain in equilibrium the non-tested ball is the heaviest; else... But Sean's analysis is very valid: it's still log(9) but the base is 3, since there are 3 states (heaviest left, equilibrium and heaviest right). Rui A. Rebelo De perto, ninguém é normal. (At a close look, no one is normal) C. Veloso