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Comment by mikereedell | Hacker News Reader

While we don't ask FizzBuzz in particular we have a question my manager asks: If you could fold a piece of paper 50 times, how tall would it be (very rough ballpark figure)?

Our success rate is surprisingly low.

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On the assumption that your question is verbatim what you give applicants, I'd say your success rate would be low. Your question lacks appropriate definition to be solved, in it's current state.

You have multiple types of folds that could be made, variable on direction, orientation, and fold distance. The only one really pertinent to this problem is fold distance. A paper folded 50 times could be 51 * thickness, if you don't define that the paper must be folded in half each time. If you enforce that it must be folded in half it becomes: (2^folds) * thickness.

This is a pretty abrupt way to start off an interview. And I don't understand the point of this question w.r.t assessing someone's coding ability. Though I'd be curious to see if the success rate on that question and on a fizz buzz correlate.

It's generally asked at the end of the interview.

Obviously, your rate would be low. The implied domain of the question would throw people off. The question isn't a good indicator if someone can program.

Why don't you ask your manager the following.

If 1/2x +1/2(1/2x + 1/2(1/2x +1/2(1/2x + ... = y, then x = ?

If can't get it in 5 minutes, he is not fit for his job.

What adventages this question has over asking candidate to write factorial, or FizzBuzz, or sth like that?

It only checks if you can estimate the thickness of paper sheet and know powers of 2. Anybody can know that.

Perhaps if you show that you need (a) the thickness of paper and (b) the powers of too, you've shown the thinking ability to pass the question. The result value doesn't matter.

That's a pretty ridiculous question that's why its low.

1.8 Times?

1/2x +1/2(1/2x + 1/2(1/2x +1/2(1/2x + ... = y If x = 1, then the equation likes this: 1/2 +1/2(1/2 + 1/2(1/2 +1/2(1/2 + ... = y 1/2 +1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + 1/32 + ... = y y = 1 = x y = x

source: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002235/hard.html

u mad?

No, I am correct. When I was calculating the height of the paper, not the thickness.

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