The Student Room Group

Google's banned interview questions- what would you say?

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Original post by Good bloke
The rectangular ones are not manhole covers, they cover much smaller cavities, through which people do not crawl; these are typically electricity and communications access hatches, meter or switch covers or water or gas pipe access points.

Manholes are specifically places where people gain bodily access through the road surface to the underground infrastructure (that is why they are called manholes).

All solid shapes have edges. All solid objects that are not variations on a spheroid have edges. You obviously don't study maths. Maybe you are confusing edges with corners.


Original post by Good bloke
The design of these objects ensures they lie flush with the road surface when properly installed. If there were a sharp edge capable of damaging a tyre it would, anyway, be immaterial whether the cover were round or rectangular.

I've said nothing about nicks but I'm not clear how a nick would occur in the normal course of events. If it happened during works I'd expect the contractor to replace the faulty item as a matter of procedure.

I find it difficult to believe that anyone has so much difficulty understanding why manhole covers have to be round and not rectangular or oval. I thought it was common knowledge (or at least blindingly obvious) why that was the case, too. I couldn't have been more wrong


Your arrogance is appalling. You're wrong but I'm done talking with you if all you can do is throw insults.
Reply 61
Original post by ServantOfMorgoth
Your arrogance is appalling. You're wrong but I'm done talking with you if all you can do is throw insults.


wot.


Oh and for the really interested have a look at Reuleaux polygons. They also won't fit through their own hole.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Good bloke
The rectangular ones are not manhole covers, they cover much smaller cavities, through which people do not crawl; these are typically electricity and communications access hatches, meter or switch covers or water or gas pipe access points.

Manholes are specifically places where people gain bodily access through the road surface to the underground infrastructure (that is why they are called manholes).

All solid shapes have edges. All solid objects that are not variations on a spheroid have edges. You obviously don't study maths. Maybe you are confusing edges with corners.


This isn't true - I've recently worked on a site where there are rectangular covers on storm drain covers, designed for people to climb into (3 or 4 metres deep).

Regardless of whether they could get dropped on a person, it's the simple issue of once you've dropped a 40kg lump of iron into a metre of water sitting 3 metres underground, how do you retrieve it?


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by shaymarriott
This isn't true - I've recently worked on a site where there are rectangular covers on storm drain covers, designed for people to climb into (3 or 4 metres deep).

Regardless of whether they could get dropped on a person, it's the simple issue of once you've dropped a 40kg lump of iron into a metre of water sitting 3 metres underground, how do you retrieve it?


Posted from TSR Mobile


Wow! I assumed it was a matter of regulation and the developer would have no choice in the matter. Have the rules changed, or is it just developer's choice? is it a matter of type of location - private site versus public road, do you think?
Some depend on where you're asking about though- the one about the car crashing in the hotel would make you screwed if you're American with those police officers and gun laws.
Reply 65
Anyone worked out the DEADBEEF one yet?

Spoiler

Original post by chickenfoot
wtf is a manhole

if i was asked such stupid questions i probably wouldnt take it seriously and give back stupid responses. stupid questions get stupid answers.

considering the jobs i apply for as well (part-time retail) i'd walk out, £6-7 is not worth that kind of ridiculous interview process.


They are robots trying to find more robots.

Anywayz, it's a "person-hole".
I'm stuck on the first question. :frown:

Has anyone answered the piano tuning one?

Spoiler



Sadly this is from some lecture notes I got a few years ago, so no job at Google for me.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Good bloke
I find it difficult to believe that anyone has so much difficulty understanding why manhole covers have to be round and not rectangular or oval. I thought it was common knowledge (or at least blindingly obvious) why that was the case, too. I couldn't have been more wrong


But why are they round and not triangular?
Reply 69
Original post by TSRUsername99
But why are they round and not triangular?


Would need to be larger to enable a person to access the hole. And the cover could still fall into the hole.

Not all manhole covers are round, but many are. And rectangular hatches often have a hinge at one side to prevent the cover from falling into the hole.
Original post by jneill
Would need to be larger to enable a person to access the hole.
You sure?

Original post by jneill

And the cover could still fall into the hole..
No it couldn't.
Reply 71
Original post by TSRUsername99
You sure?

No it couldn't.


Yes

Yes - unless it was this shape.

Original post by jneill
Yes

Yes - unless it was this shape.



So you're saying they're round because they use less iron and not because they can't fall down their own hole?
Reply 73
Original post by TSRUsername99
So you're saying they're round because they use less iron and not because they can't fall down their own hole?


No the main reason is the falling down the hole thing.

The size is a secondary consideration, and I haven't done the maths on the minimum area of a triangle vs a circle needed to accommodate a person. But in terms of max width (from apex to apex) I'd guesstimate the triangle will be larger than the diameter of the circle.
Original post by jneill
No the main reason is the falling down the hole thing.

The size is a secondary consideration, and I haven't done the maths on the minimum area of a triangle vs a circle needed to accommodate a person. But in terms of max width (from apex to apex) I'd guesstimate the triangle will be larger than the diameter of the circle.


And I agree entirely.
Original post by jneill
No the main reason is the falling down the hole thing.


Maybe, bit silly to not give any consideration to other shapes though.



Original post by jneill

The size is a secondary consideration, and I haven't done the maths on the minimum area of a triangle vs a circle needed to accommodate a person. But in terms of max width (from apex to apex) I'd guesstimate the triangle will be larger than the diameter of the circle.


But you said you were sure, boy this interview isn't going well for you.
Original post by TSRUsername99
Maybe, bit silly to not give any consideration to other shapes though.


It's a bit silly to assume that consideration was not given to other shapes before settling on circles as the preferred solution, isn't it?
Original post by Good bloke
It's a bit silly to assume that consideration was not given to other shapes before settling on circles as the preferred solution, isn't it?


Oh so you mean the correct answer is: we should assume that consideration was given to all shapes and circles were the preferred solution?
These sound a lot like the Oxbridge interview questions I was told I'd get (and didn't).
Reply 79
Original post by TSRUsername99
Maybe, bit silly to not give any consideration to other shapes though.





But you said you were sure, boy this interview isn't going well for you.


Note the hinge.



I can start on Monday.

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