Problem Solving Interview Questions!

[Hamish]

Got these two questions in an interview today and I can't get the answers! They are the "think outside the box" type and unfortunatly I have to research the answers by any means nessesary, i.e. Google/you lot. Google has drawn a blank so I don't spose anyone knows the answers to these questions do they?


1) Why when nothing travels faster than light can we see back to the dawn of the universe?


2) How many car alarms are going off right now?

I tried the 0 answer as in I can't hear any, apparently it's wrong. I don't think they are looking for a statistic, more like some crafty answer.

 

[Hamish]

What sort of job was the interview for?


surely these questions are just designed to see how you can think/come to any answer? There is no real answer?

Junior IT Consultant.

I'm not sure, some of them definatly have answers e.g.
Why are manhole covers usually round?
Manhole covers are round so that they cannot fall through the circular opening as can happen with other shapes such as rectangular or triangular covers.

 

[Hamish]

With a round cover in a round hole it could never fall in as the lip that the manhole cover fits in would stop it falling down. With a square, rectangular or triangular manhole cover and hole all you need to do is lift the cover on end and it will fall down unless the cover is stupidly thick.

 

[Hamish]

Does posting here to get people to answer the question for you count as "problem solving" though?

Yes because if you don't know the answer you are supposed to go and find it by any means necessary. I answered 18 questions in the interview, and they told me to go away and answer the other 2 that I couldn't answer at home using any means necessary, e.g. Google / The good people of OcUK. So you can have your back!