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A modern analogy that illustrates this is a famous interview problem: you have a cake with an irregular piece cut out of it, and you have to figure out how to c
by dnaquin 18y ago
A modern analogy that illustrates this is a famous interview problem: you have a cake with an irregular piece cut out of it, and you have to figure out how to cut the cake into equal pieces. The smarter the person, the harder it is for them so solve this problem. People come up with all sorts of ingenious (and usually incorrect) solutions, when the obvious solution is staring them right in the face - just cut the cake horizontally.
This solution, of course, is just another implicit assumption that the irregular shape cut out of the cake is oriented vertically.
- coffeemug 18y ago> This solution, of course, is just another implicit assumption that the irregular shape cut out of the cake is oriented vertically. This is an excellent observation. I didn't realize this when I was writing about it.
- dnaquin 18y agoTypically, if you describe a problem that is harder to solve the smarter the person is, there's some implicit assumption. The problem gets harder for smarter folks, because there is no general solution.
- coffeemug 18y agoRight. Being able to see these assumptions is arguably an incredibly useful skill. More traditional intelligence coupled with ability to see such assumptions should get you much further than traditional intelligence alone.
- dhimes 18y agoNot to mention that it's one of the dumbest interview questions I've ever heard. Imagine serving a 4-year-old a piece of cake from the bottom (with little frosting). I can see why smart people would have trouble with it. They would naturally assume that the interviewer was clever, and would see a mathematical solution while preserving the "cakeness", that is, the ability to carry frosting and internal structure.
- ntoshev 18y agoCakes have layers. It ruins them to cut them horizontally. And it is not convenient - how do you even hold the knife to do that? It is a bad example.