Logical Interview Question

[RSoles]

Why would you want to work in a company that hasn't updated its interview questions since the nineties?

[greenlake]

[DimPrawn]

I didn't get the job.

[BigRed]

It doesn't concern me that you couldn't get the correct answer (mainly because I couldn't either, well not in a few minutes )

What is a concern is that some of you don't understand the answer even once it's explained to you.

It is perfectly correct by the way. The only absolutes are that each length of rope will burn in an hour. Say the first rope burns the first 65% in 30mins then the other 35% will take 30mins. the only way to time 30mins is to burn from both ends at once. If you have only lit the one end of the second rope at the same time, whatever percentage is left will burn for 30mins. Once the first rope is completely burned lighting the other end of the second rope ensures that it will be completely burned in another 15mins, giving 45mins elapsed.

[RonBW]

You have two ropes.

How do you measure out exactly 45 minutes?

Turn the first into a noose and hang whoever thought that this was a good interview question that bears any relevance on your ability to do the contract.

While they hang there, remember you're a contractor, keep a regular eye on your Patek Philippe and work out how much you could be billing for the next 45 minutes.

[northernladyuk]

Hog tie the interviewer with one rope, and tie a noose with the other and place it on the table. Count down from 2700.

[northernladyuk]

Turn the first into a noose and hang whoever thought that this was a good interview question that bears any relevance on your ability to do the contract.

While they hang there, remember you're a contractor, keep a regular eye on your Patek Philippe and work out how much you could be billing for the next 45 minutes.

Damn.

[Chuck]

I had a similar test, twice, at the same company.

It was something to do with weighing bags of coins, a certain number of times, to find which bag had one coin missing. I forget the details.

First time I worked for that client, I got it right, eventually. The second time I interviewed there, they asked the same question, but I couldn't remember the answer.

Didn't seem to matter though, I still got the contract.

[BlasterBates]

Once you've answered a similar question you know what to look for. All part of the rather stupid concept of replacing objective measures of whether one is suitable for a job with what is in effect a test similar to throwing the CV's down the stairs and see which one lands at the bottom. The people who will answer the question are the ones who've heard it before. What I find astounding is that we've spent 1000 years developing a sophisticated education system to test people's IQs with entails two decades of education with objective measures at the end of it, and these interviewers reduce it to an "anal" question.

[WTFH]

I'd tie the two ropes together, put an empty tin can on the end of each, hold them taught, then shout into one saying "Faversham, can you tell me when 45 minutes have elapsed".
If the butler can't help, then what's the point of having him?

Option 2: agree an hourly rate with the client, but tell them that anything less than 45min, 1sec is free.