4 ms·
"If it’s any consolation, at least we don’t ask gotcha riddle questions anymore. Those were especially offensive." What, no more Fermi Problems anymore? No mor
by Luyt 16y ago
"If it’s any consolation, at least we don’t ask gotcha riddle questions anymore. Those were especially offensive."
What, no more Fermi Problems anymore? No more reasoning about how many piano tuners there are in Chicago? No more estimating how many hairs you have on your head? Not necessary to calculate the total number of sheets of 8.5 x 11 inch paper used by all the students at the University of Maryland in one semester? How many drops of water are there in Lake Erie? How many notes are played on a given radio station in a given year, has become irrelevant? What a loss ;-)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem
- sliverstorm 16y agoI am always disappointed when I don't get asked a Fermi problem. Not only have I spent the last 5 years hearing about how I'll be asked a Fermi problem, but they are fun, and I am pretty good at 'em.
- allenc 16y agoHm, I think Fermi problems are not as much in style, but certain interviewers still ask them from time to time. I'm thinking more about just annoying puzzle problems with one right answer, that if you don't have an "aha!" moment you'd probably never get (and remember, this is in the context of a stressful interview). Stuff like the Two Glass Balls problem: http://sites.google.com/site/mytechnicalcollection/puzzle/two-glass-balls http://sites.google.com/site/mytechnicalcollection/puzzle/tw...