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> If you can't write a function that gives me a row of Pascall's triangle, that's a problem. I've developed high-performance medical imaging applications. I've
by king_magic 15y ago
> If you can't write a function that gives me a row of Pascall's triangle, that's a problem.
I've developed high-performance medical imaging applications. I've build large distributed financial systems. I've built 2D/3D games. I've done a ton of stuff. Hell, I'm a software engineering hiring manager at my company. Yet I have no idea what a Pascall's triangle is, or how to give you a row of them.
I consider questions like that to be as useless as brainteasers in determining whether or not to hire someone. Sure, it can help give clues about a candidate, but if you're seriously considering rejecting a candidate on that point alone, I think you've got a problem in your hiring process.
- jebblue 15y agoI've been putting food on the table writing code every day for almost two decades along similar lines as king_magic and I also do not know what a Pascall's triangle is.
- YmMot 15y agoI think you're misunderstanding. This is not a test to see if you know what Pascals triangle is....it's a simple test of your ability to take a simple algorithm that has been explained to you and translate it into code. This is the essence of programming. Pascal's triangle is simple a triangle which starts at 1 and where each number in the next row is the sum of the two numbers above it, with 0 being assumed for numbers on the edge. A program to produce one is nothing more than a couple for-loops, printf, and some basic logic.
- king_magic 15y agoYes, in retrospect, I think I was misunderstanding. OP clarified his comment, and in that case, I think it makes sense. I agree - that is the essence of programming, and if you truly cannot do that, you have no business being a programmer. However, there is more to software engineering than being able to translate algorithms into code, and I'm not so sure that a single litmus test should make the difference between hiring/not hiring a candidate.
- pjscott 15y agoThere's more to playing baseball than running, but someone who can't run probably won't make a very good baseball player. Sure, there's going to be some error rate, but that's inevitable.
- rhizome 15y agoAlgorithms are one thing, but I don't know of a single business that is dependent on Pascal's Triangle. That is, is it realistic to use PT?
- aplusbi 15y agoYou're focusing too much on the wrong thing. The point is being able to take a (simple) problem and convert it to code. The problem doesn't matter, the method does.
- jkmcf 15y agoSadly, for baseball, this is far from the case :(
- king_magic 15y agoYes, true, but curlers or rock climbers don't need to run the same way baseball players do. All I'm saying is that there needs to be a multi-faceted look at a candidate. Some candidates are going to be so obviously poor that they do merit instant rejection. However, in my experience, that is the exception rather than the rule.
- SatvikBeri 15y agoOut of curiosity: where do you come in, in the interviewing process? I don't have direct experience, but I frequently hear that very trivial programming questions weed out more than 50% of applicants to programming jobs.
- king_magic 15y ago
- mark_story 15y agoI have no idea what Pascall's triangle is. But I'm able to write bookkeeping/accounting software and webframeworks. So I guess we'll have to look for jobs elsewhere :)
- marquis 15y agoI had no idea either but he qualified his statement saying he would explain what it was. I just looked up the wikipedia entry which explained it pretty well and I would think that you'd have no problem building a prototype given your listed experience. The point he is making is that he will give you a problem (and Pascal's triangle seems to be a fairly simple one at that) to then be involved in your analytical process. It sounds fair to me.