Solve this equation for me - Page 5

**GG_Guru** · 10-13-2009, 05:01 PM

Wait, why would they ask you that at a JOB INTERVIEW???

Unless you're like applying for cashier then that'd be understandable.

leonid · 10-13-2009, 05:02 PM

Oops, didn't see the part that I had only two glass balls >_>

brb, trying to solve again..

MrRubix · 10-13-2009, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GG_Guru

Wait, why would they ask you that at a JOB INTERVIEW???

Unless you're like applying for cashier then that'd be understandable.

Interviews for top trading firms and banks are extremely competitive -- you need to be very, very good with numbers. There's a reason why they pay so well, lol.

**GG_Guru** · 10-13-2009, 05:05 PM

Just show them your transcript and you're good to go.

Sounds sketchy but it works, people are suckers for high GPA. I can get work almost anywhere with my grades but then again that wouldn't be fair for all the other employers...

leonid · 10-13-2009, 05:06 PM

Transcript by only itself won't do the trick. I have GPA of 4.0 and still failed some interviews for summer internship..

**Zipsnine** · 10-13-2009, 05:06 PM

Hell if anyone can answer that in there head in about 15 minutes, should be able to work wherever the hell they want. Not really. But lets go with that for now

**GG_Guru** · 10-13-2009, 05:07 PM

You also need to be fluent and confident in the way you speak, the tone of your voice, and how you present yourself.

Leonid, it is possible. Just be cocky.

MrRubix · 10-13-2009, 05:08 PM

Another question given in an interview (a bit easier, also a favorite question of mine... simple and yet teaches a lot about expectation):

I have a game where you can roll a die and receive, in dollars, what you roll (rolling a 1 means you get $1, 2 you get $2, etc). However, assuming you are risk-neutral (e.g. equally sensitive to a gain of X versus a loss of X), and assuming there is a fee to play this game, what is the maximum fee you should be willing to pay to play this game?

What about with two dice? You roll the first one and can either accept it and get paid what you rolled, or you can discard it and take whatever you roll on the second die. How much would you be willing to pay for THIS game?

Three dice?

N dice?

leonid · 10-13-2009, 05:08 PM

@GG_Guru That's not how the interviews for technical jobs work

MrRubix · 10-13-2009, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GG_Guru

Just show them your transcript and you're good to go.

Sounds sketchy but it works, people are suckers for high GPA. I can get work almost anywhere with my grades but then again that wouldn't be fair for all the other employers...

Believe me, GPA is NOT enough at some places. Again, many firms are extremely, extremely competitive. Like, Goldman Sachs will probably not even look at your resume unless you're at least a 3.7 at an Ivy or a 4.0 at a non-Ivy, and even then you need to get their questions right and still have a smooth interview/discussion. People with 4.0's get rejected all the time.

**Zipsnine** · 10-13-2009, 05:09 PM

Im only a senoir in high school. Im not worried about interviews yet. But i really dont look forward to writing resumes. They look like there a hastle to do.

**GG_Guru** · 10-13-2009, 05:09 PM

Dude you got a 4.0 GPA...who doesn't want to hire a smartass?

I definitely would. Hell that'd be my first choice.

MrRubix · 10-13-2009, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GG_Guru

Dude you got a 4.0 GPA...who doesn't want to hire a smartass?

Not all 4.0 students are created equal. It'll only help get your foot in the door. If you fail the interview, the number becomes a bit meaningless.

**Zipsnine** · 10-13-2009, 05:14 PM

Hey, MrRubix should come up with a really hard algebra 2 problem and see if we can solve it. Like the hardest problem you can think of

leonid · 10-13-2009, 05:14 PM

How about this method:

Drop the ball from floor 50. If it breaks, start from floor 1 all the way up to floor 49.
If it doesn't break, drop it from floor 75. If it breaks, start from floor 51 all the way up to floor 74.
If it doesn't break here either, drop it from floor 88, and so on..

Expected value of maximum number of drops is roughly 50/2 + 25/4 + 13/8 + 7/16 + 4/32 + 2/64 + 1/128

**GG_Guru** · 10-13-2009, 05:15 PM

But there's less chance of you failing if you actually know what you're doing which I doubt you don't because hey, you have A's all across a paper right? And the fact that you deem it as a worthless piece of paper is just ridiculous...but in reality it's probably the only ace up your sleeve and the only chance of ever scoring a job out in the real world, at least, that's what I've been taught.

I'm going to make some burgers.

I'm ****ing starving.

MrRubix · 10-13-2009, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leonid

@GG_Guru That's not how the interviews for technical jobs work

How about this method:

Drop the ball from floor 51. If it breaks, start from floor 1 all the way up to floor 50.
If it doesn't break, drop it from floor 76. If it breaks, start from floor 52 all the way up to floor 75.
If it doesn't break here either, drop it from floor 87, and so on..

Expected value of maximum number of drops is roughly 50/2 + 25/4 + 13/8 + 7/16 + 4/32 + 2/64 + 1/128

That's like 33 drops or so -- you can do better than this

Hell, I'll give you a better (but incorrect) answer. Say you choose some interval, 10, to use your first sphere. That is, drop at 10, then 20, then 30, etc. If it breaks at 50, say, then use the second sphere and start dropping from 41-49, and you will get the floor that way. So under worst case scenario, you drop the first sphere 10 times to reach floor 100 and then need to drop the second sphere 9 times (91-99), for a minimum of 10+9 = 19... but again, you can do better than this.

MrRubix · 10-13-2009, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GG_Guru

But there's less chance of you failing if you actually know what you're doing which I doubt you don't because hey, you have A's all across a paper right? And the fact that you deem it as a worthless piece of paper is just ridiculous...but in reality it's probably the only ace up your sleeve and the only chance of ever scoring a job out in the real world, at least, that's what I've been taught.

I'm going to make some burgers.

I'm ****ing starving.

Of course you will do better if you know what you're doing... but there are plenty of gunners (i.e. suckups/studybots) out there with high GPA's that don't know what they're doing and still wind up losing the interview. You'll also find plenty of non-4.0 students who are amazing. Again, GPA isn't everything.

MrRubix · 10-13-2009, 05:29 PM

Ooooh, I got a really hard one for you, Leonid. This one took me all day to solve:

I have a standard 52-card deck. If I draw a red card, you earn $1. If I draw a black card, you lose $1. Drawn cards are not reinserted into the deck, and you can stop any time. Develop an optimal stopping rule to maximize your expected earnings from this game, and then, what is your expected payout under your stopping rule?

For clarification: You should never have negative earnings, since drawing all cards will ensure +26 - 26 = 0 = no net gain or loss.

**GG_Guru** · 10-13-2009, 05:37 PM

Solve this equation for me thread = DOMINATED

Byeeee.

10-13-2009, 05:01 PM	#81
GG_Guru Let em' do what they want Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,219	Re: Solve this equation for me Wait, why would they ask you that at a JOB INTERVIEW??? Unless you're like applying for cashier then that'd be understandable. __________________

10-13-2009, 05:02 PM	#82
leonid I am leonid Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: MOUNTAIN VIEW Age: 34 Posts: 8,080	Re: Solve this equation for me Oops, didn't see the part that I had only two glass balls >_> brb, trying to solve again.. __________________ Proud member of Team No

10-13-2009, 05:05 PM	#84
GG_Guru Let em' do what they want Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,219	Re: Solve this equation for me Just show them your transcript and you're good to go. Sounds sketchy but it works, people are suckers for high GPA. I can get work almost anywhere with my grades but then again that wouldn't be fair for all the other employers... __________________

10-13-2009, 05:06 PM	#85
leonid I am leonid Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: MOUNTAIN VIEW Age: 34 Posts: 8,080	Re: Solve this equation for me Transcript by only itself won't do the trick. I have GPA of 4.0 and still failed some interviews for summer internship.. __________________ Proud member of Team No

10-13-2009, 05:06 PM	#86
Zipsnine FFR Veteran Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bushkill, P.A. Posts: 150	Re: Solve this equation for me Hell if anyone can answer that in there head in about 15 minutes, should be able to work wherever the hell they want. Not really. But lets go with that for now

10-13-2009, 05:07 PM	#87
GG_Guru Let em' do what they want Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,219	Re: Solve this equation for me You also need to be fluent and confident in the way you speak, the tone of your voice, and how you present yourself. Leonid, it is possible. Just be cocky. __________________

10-13-2009, 05:08 PM	#88
MrRubix FFR Player Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: New York City, New York Posts: 8,340	Re: Solve this equation for me Another question given in an interview (a bit easier, also a favorite question of mine... simple and yet teaches a lot about expectation): I have a game where you can roll a die and receive, in dollars, what you roll (rolling a 1 means you get $1, 2 you get $2, etc). However, assuming you are risk-neutral (e.g. equally sensitive to a gain of X versus a loss of X), and assuming there is a fee to play this game, what is the maximum fee you should be willing to pay to play this game? What about with two dice? You roll the first one and can either accept it and get paid what you rolled, or you can discard it and take whatever you roll on the second die. How much would you be willing to pay for THIS game? Three dice? N dice? __________________ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0es0Mip1jWY

10-13-2009, 05:08 PM	#89
leonid I am leonid Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: MOUNTAIN VIEW Age: 34 Posts: 8,080	Re: Solve this equation for me @GG_Guru That's not how the interviews for technical jobs work __________________ Proud member of Team No Last edited by leonid; 10-13-2009 at 05:14 PM..

10-13-2009, 05:09 PM	#91
Zipsnine FFR Veteran Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bushkill, P.A. Posts: 150	Re: Solve this equation for me Im only a senoir in high school. Im not worried about interviews yet. But i really dont look forward to writing resumes. They look like there a hastle to do.

10-13-2009, 05:09 PM	#92
GG_Guru Let em' do what they want Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,219	Re: Solve this equation for me Dude you got a 4.0 GPA...who doesn't want to hire a smartass? I definitely would. Hell that'd be my first choice. __________________

10-13-2009, 05:14 PM	#94
Zipsnine FFR Veteran Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bushkill, P.A. Posts: 150	Re: Solve this equation for me Hey, MrRubix should come up with a really hard algebra 2 problem and see if we can solve it. Like the hardest problem you can think of

10-13-2009, 05:14 PM	#95
leonid I am leonid Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: MOUNTAIN VIEW Age: 34 Posts: 8,080	Re: Solve this equation for me How about this method: Drop the ball from floor 50. If it breaks, start from floor 1 all the way up to floor 49. If it doesn't break, drop it from floor 75. If it breaks, start from floor 51 all the way up to floor 74. If it doesn't break here either, drop it from floor 88, and so on.. Expected value of maximum number of drops is roughly 50/2 + 25/4 + 13/8 + 7/16 + 4/32 + 2/64 + 1/128 __________________ Proud member of Team No Last edited by leonid; 10-13-2009 at 05:17 PM..

10-13-2009, 05:15 PM	#96
GG_Guru Let em' do what they want Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,219	Re: Solve this equation for me But there's less chance of you failing if you actually know what you're doing which I doubt you don't because hey, you have A's all across a paper right? And the fact that you deem it as a worthless piece of paper is just ridiculous...but in reality it's probably the only ace up your sleeve and the only chance of ever scoring a job out in the real world, at least, that's what I've been taught. I'm going to make some burgers. I'm ****ing starving. __________________

10-13-2009, 05:29 PM	#99
MrRubix FFR Player Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: New York City, New York Posts: 8,340	Re: Solve this equation for me Ooooh, I got a really hard one for you, Leonid. This one took me all day to solve: I have a standard 52-card deck. If I draw a red card, you earn $1. If I draw a black card, you lose $1. Drawn cards are not reinserted into the deck, and you can stop any time. Develop an optimal stopping rule to maximize your expected earnings from this game, and then, what is your expected payout under your stopping rule? For clarification: You should never have negative earnings, since drawing all cards will ensure +26 - 26 = 0 = no net gain or loss. __________________ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0es0Mip1jWY

10-13-2009, 05:37 PM	#100
GG_Guru Let em' do what they want Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,219	Re: Solve this equation for me Solve this equation for me thread = DOMINATED Byeeee. __________________

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