If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002) • Hacker News Board

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#61

Post by janeroe » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 4:50 PM UTC

Qw3r7 wrote: post #6

hereforphone wrote: post #4

But can he do a heap sort on the whiteboard, that's the real question

Probably not, but he could sleep with his bosses wife

Why not? He was into computing. His lectures on computation (transcribed from his course in California Institute of Technology) are published:

https://www.amazon.com/Feynman-Lectures-Computation-Frontier...

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#62

Post by jbluepolarbear » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 4:53 PM UTC

Richard Feynman is not someone to look up to, he was an arrogant, sexist asshole that liked the sound of his own voice. He’d be a great fit for the GOP.

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#63

Post by retrac » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 4:53 PM UTC

zepolen wrote: post #18

dudul wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm so pissed at these stupid questions during interviews that now I start doing that. The last one was "how many tennis balls could you fit in the Empire State Building?". I spent maybe 10 minutes asking idiotic "clarifying" questions before the interviewer realized I was messing with him (e.g. "can I use any color for the balls?" "Do I have a crew to help me?" "Can I try to crush them?" etc). He got pretty upset ye…

So what's not serious about that question assuming it was for a programming position?

Well for one thing, it's painfully trivial. We had to estimate the number of marble candies in a glass jar back in 3rd grade. The closest estimate won the jar of candies. We approached it methodically in much the manner I assume the interviewer expects the applicant to there? Estimate volume of the container. Estimate volume of a marble when packed together. Divide. I guess it does serve as a very, very basic test of arithmetic and reasoning skills. But kind of insultingly so.

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#64

Post by rdiddly » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 4:54 PM UTC

JMTQp8lwXL wrote: post #13

thom wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, that _is_ the conceit here. The ‘right’ answer is that all manhole covers are round because a round cover can’t fall into the hole.

I'm fairly certain a square manhole cover with a sufficient perimeter would still have no chance of falling into a hole, depending on the diameter of said hole.

If we're talking square cover, round hole, no cover big enough to cover the hole could fall in.

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#65

Post by serverholic » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 4:57 PM UTC

jbluepolarbear wrote: post #62

Richard Feynman is not someone to look up to, he was an arrogant, sexist asshole that liked the sound of his own voice. He’d be a great fit for the GOP.

Almost everyone was sexist in his time. But yes, let's please continue to cancel history.

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#66

Post by grumpyprole » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 4:57 PM UTC

LeifCarrotson wrote: post #55

msravi wrote: post #37

In the same vein: The Barometer Question and Calandra's account https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometer_question

I'd never seen that before, that's excellent! The original PDF is at https://www.unz.com/PDF/PERIODICAL/SaturdayRev-1968dec21/62/ , which is includes a nice drawing of the student speaking with a building superintendent while holding a barometer, but to say more would be to spoil the punchline. Here is the text: > Angels on a Pin By ALEXANDER CALANDRA SOME time ago, I received a call from a colleague who asked if I w…

It sounds like the original question was just badly worded. It should have read "Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building using only a barometer.". The other answers, while not incorrect, do assume the availability of additional items such as rope and watches.

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#67

Post by david_allison » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 4:58 PM UTC

jimmaswell wrote: post #35

13of40 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I worked there in the early 2000's I had a friend of a friend whose fiancée graduated with a bachelor's degree in either CS or EE and applied for a developer position. Somehow, and I struggle to understand the mechanics of this because engineering was highly compartmentalized away from the "business" parts of the business, they managed to turn her down for an engineering role and got her a job in marketing. Also…

Does anything beat just pressing the buttons in order?

Yes.

rot13:

Bcgvzny fgengrtl vf gb fryrpg "enaqbz", gura vs lbh trg n Crcfv, fryrpg "Crcfv". Gjb cerffrf znk

Nsgre fryrpgvat "Enaqbz":

* lbh trg n Pbxr (1 cerff)

* Lbh trg n Crcfv

Vs lbh trg n Crcfv, lbh xabj gung "enaqbz" vf gur ohggba juvpu nyjnlf cebqhprf n "Crcfv" (bayl "Crcfv" be "Enaqbz" pna cebqhpr n Crcfv, naq lbh xabj gur ynoryf ner jebat).

Sebz urer, lbh xabj gung gur ohggba ynoryyrq "Pbxr" pna'g cebqhpr n "Pbxr", nf gur ynoryf ner fjvgpurq. Vg pna'g cebqhpr n "Crcfv", nf jr'ir sbhaq gung ohggba, fb vg zhfg or "enaqbz".

Gurersber, cerffvat "Crcfv" ba gur frpbaq gel jvyy nyjnlf trg lbh n "Pbxr"

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#68

Post by gorwell » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 4:58 PM UTC

It is rather remarkable how unenlightened and vulgar our interview questions used to be. Manhole is the language of the savage from an age long ago, isn't that something? Thank Ford our omniscient DEI Controllers replaced it with Personhole! As a result our species thrived as never before.

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#69

Post by ineedasername » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 4:59 PM UTC

msravi wrote: post #37

In the same vein: The Barometer Question and Calandra's account https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometer_question

Hold the barometer up and shout that it's a bomb & you'll blow up the building if someone doesn't tell you how tall it is.

Use the barometer to prop open the door to the city's municipal building as the last person leaves for the day & sneak in to find the plans for building.

Re: If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft (2002)

#70

Post by TKZZ » Fri, Jul 23, 2021, 5:03 PM UTC

cbzbc wrote: post #53

adflux wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is essentially the Monty Hall problem. First choice is 1/3d to be correct, if this choice is wrong, then change, because you will now improve your odds to be 1/2

No, you an apply more reasoning to it up front. If "none of them are correct" then you press 'surprise' first, and you either get the drink you wanted that time, or on your next guess.

If the labels are all incorrect, you would want to start with the one labelled with the drink you don't want. This would give you an initial chance of 75% of getting the drink you do want (.5 + .25). If you don't get it on the first press, then you would press the one labelled "random", as this would 100% be the drink that you do want.