> how many ping pong balls fit in a 747
This one does seem useful. Being able to do back-of-the-napkin (i.e. fermi problem) calculations is a pretty good skill.
This one does seem useful. Being able to do back-of-the-napkin (i.e. fermi problem) calculations is a pretty good skill.
The reason the 747 question is bad is because it has little to do with programming and a lot to do with how much you happen to know about planes and ping pong balls and how to estimate volumes of irregularly shaped objects, none of which have much if any correlation with programming ability.
Similar but smaller questions along these lines are given to more junior candidates often enough too, as one of multiple questions.