If you want to know how many servers I'd need for a task or to discuss memory/space tradeoffs, then ask those questions outright instead of doing this indirect

If you want to know how many servers I'd need for a task or to discuss memory/space tradeoffs, then ask those questions outright instead of doing this indirect dance. I don't see how the question gives you an advantage when you're being asked to take skills you use and apply them to domains you don't work in that are irrelevant for the job. The skillset I have that allows me to accurately estimate software projects is based on my knowledge and experience in that domain, and just because I can estimate there doesn't mean I can estimate tennis balls in a building, nor does being able to estimate tennis balls in a building give any indication of ability to estimate software projects. Anyone that thinks there's some overlap between estimating software problems and estimating how many tennis balls would fit in the Empire State Building is not someone I'd want to work for.