Google, with its creative, youthful subculture, is famous as a great place to work and for its lengthy, grueling interview process that involves bizarre puzzles and brainteasers. A typical question is outlined below, followed by some of the responses to it I found on the net. As Google concedes, many of its questions do not have a single right response. They are designed to reveal a candidate’s approach to problem-solving. Feel free to share your own!
You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and your mass is proportionally reduced so as to maintain your original density. You are then thrown into an empty glass blender. The blades will start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?
A1: You simply jump out. As you are scaled down, the ratio of muscle mass to total mass remains the same. Potential energy is given by E = mgh. So, if E/m is unchanged (where E is the energy expended in expanding your leg muscles, and m is your mass), then h is unchanged. Mini-me jumps as high as me. This is the reason why grass-hoppers can jump about as high as people.
A2: I hardly think that anyone being shrunk down that small would even be able to get over the shock of the situation quickly enough to think themselves out of the situation. I'd probably spend a good 10 minutes just trying to figure what the hell happened and where the hell I was. It sounds like Google has been watching too many "Honey I Shrunk ..." movies.
A3: From the inside, put both hands and your head firmly against the glass. Plant your feet firmly and begin to rock the blender back and forth - like when you are rocking your car out of a snowbank - and gradually build up the momentum until you topple the blender over on its side. You have over 60 seconds to build up enough momentum to knock it over. Walk out.
A4: If your density stays the same then there is a higher concentration of particles inside than outside. Therefore the medium would equalize and particles would leave your body and you would end up with a density of 1(water). So as the pressure decreases so does volume. So eventually you would end up with 1/1 =1 so the blender would have no effect.
A5: Take off shirt and/or pants. Tie knots to close wrist and neck holes (or each pant leg). Push body against the side of the glass until just above the blades or as far up as possible. When the blades start, jump out over them with the shirt/pants over my head. Let the air vortex carry me up and out of the blender and float to a safe landing on the counter. :) Reminds me of girl scouts.
A6: First, I would be pissed that I was the height of a nickel. Second, I would commit suicide.
A7: Bah, I don't think merely staying alive in the blender is the way to go. You have no idea when or if the blender will ever be turned off. In fact, the fact that you've been placed in a blender in the first place implies that there is a malicious entity involved, someone who wants to see you minced.
A8: I’ll do nothing, because I will shortly implode and die from unbearable tensile forces.
A9: I'm confused, if you're the height of a nickel and you're thrown into a blender, wouldn't the fall kill or seriously injure you?
A10: I quickly realize that even if I get out, I am only the size of a nickel, and will probably never get laid again, so I place my neck on the blade and close my eyes till my 60 seconds are up.
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Note:
I complete three months of blogging today (42 posts). A minor milestone but I feel good about it. I am grateful to those who leave thoughtful comments, or email me, or talk to me about it, and make this activity more engaging and worthwhile.
StatCounter shows that I average 100+ unique visitors a day, of which ~15% are returnees (trends are pointing up). Other than the usual suspects, I don’t know who the other regulars are and would of course love to find out. Please post a comment or email me sometime; tell me how you found my blog, and perhaps even what you like/dislike about it, any memorable posts, etc. (I'm not fishing for compliments :-).
I of course am one of the usual (very usual, I am afraid) suspects. But let me tell you, it is okay to fish for compliments - a necessary impetus to keep up this rather time consuming activity.
You already know how I found your blog. What I like about it is the time you take to put together fact filled and thoughtful commentary on every topic you tackle. A very hard thing to do, as I have learnt.
Although I like pretty much everything you post, I enjoy the travel posts the most - a wonderful vicarious experience. Your photos are an added attraction.
As for the google blender question, I would clamp down on the blender blades with all my nickel sized might. You'd be surprised what little force is required to prevent a blender from starting. The problem with that option is that as soon as you let go, you are in trouble because we don't know for how long the blender is going to run after it's switched on. What a stupid question! What would YOU do?
Posted by: Ruchira Paul | January 21, 2007 at 01:42 PM
Ruchira:
You are not only a usual suspect but an esteemed one. Thanks for your kind note. :)
About the blender question, A10 resonates with me but it sure won't get me hired. :)
I would lie flat under the blades near the outer edge, where the air vortex would be weakest. Indeed, trying your approach first while standing near the outer edge and then switching to mine, if necessary, may be the way to go!
Posted by: Shunya (Namit) | January 21, 2007 at 05:43 PM
Hey, why opt for A10? If google has its way with you, they sure would have had it with others. If you can escape, there may be other nickel sized humans looking for love out there!
Posted by: Ruchira Paul | January 21, 2007 at 07:17 PM
Hi! I don't recall leaving a comment here, though I have linked to a few of your posts on DesiPundit. I'm certainly a regular; I have subscribed to your blog on Google Reader.
Posted by: Abi | January 22, 2007 at 08:46 AM
I first reached your blog through Abi's posts in Desipundit, and have ever since been a regular here.
The post that made me most thoughtful was the excerpt from your novel :-)
Arun.
Posted by: Sahodaran | January 22, 2007 at 11:39 PM
Thanks Abi and Arun. I appreciate your interest and comments.
The DesiPundit links did cause a nice little spike to my traffic. :)
Posted by: Shunya (Namit) | January 23, 2007 at 12:06 AM
Ok, here goes another Google interview question:
Your interview at Google has inexplicably turned into an ordeal -- your interviewer has pounced on you and tied you to the seat! He brandishes a revolver, snickering malevolently! He shows you all 6 chambers are empty. Then he gloatingly puts two bullets in adjacent chambers, closes the barrel and spins it! Ab aayega maza!
He puts the gun to your head and pulls the trigger! Click!! the slot was empty. Now before he starts the interview he wants to pull the trigger once more, and asks you which one you'd like , that he spin the barrel again first, or that he just pull the trigger without spinning the barrel?
(These are feather bullets. They'd barely hurt a nickel-sized human. Don't be evil.)
Posted by: Dukhiram | February 22, 2007 at 06:21 PM
The probability that the second one is not a bullet, given the first one was not, is 1/2. The probability of spinning and not finding a bullet is 2/3. I would ask for a spin.
The real fun begins after I am untied. I will walk out, sue the pants off Google for torture and mental trauma, and make my millions. Who needs a job at Google? :)
Posted by: Shunya (Namit) | February 22, 2007 at 10:15 PM
1. If the interviewer pulls the trigger without spinning, the probability of there being no bullet in the next slot is 3/4.
2. If he spins it and then pulls the trigger, the probability of there being no bullet in the next slot is 2/3.
The answer to the question depends on whether you care to get shot or not. Remember, these are feather bullets. People are known to actually enjoy feathers - think kink!
Posted by: vp | February 22, 2007 at 11:10 PM
vp's answer is right of course. But I still get to keep the millions.
Posted by: Shunya (Namit) | February 23, 2007 at 01:32 AM