Myths abound of heart-stopping interview questions. Like McKinsey’s “why are manhole covers round?”; “How many hairs are there on a dog?” or “How many golf balls could you fit inside a jumbo jet?”
But, outside the pressure chamber of a high-level interview, such thought experiments can be fun.
Here’s one:
Question:
You’ve been to a fruit market and loaded up with 100kg of fruit. But 99% of the weight of fruit is water and some of it evaporates on the long journey home. By the time you arrive, the fruit is 98% water. What is the weight of fruit you bring home?
Answer:
At the start, the weight of solid (non-water) matter in the fruit is 1% or 1kg. When you get home, the same 1kg now makes up 2% of the total weight, which must therefore be 50kg.
Jay Scott is a consultant on the Interim team at FreshMinds Talent
