Post:

You have three switches in one room and a single light bulb in another room. You are allowed to visit the room with the light bulb only once. How do you figure out which switch controls the bulb? Write your answer in the comments before looking at other answers.

Comment:

If this were an interview question, the correct response would be "Do you have any relevant questions for me? Because have a long list of things that more deserving of my precious time than to think about this!

  • mech@feddit.org
    2·
    22 days ago
    • Use the heat of the bulb to determine if it was on. (Shows you can memorize stupid interview questions)
    • Ask a team member to coordinate with you in the other room. (You’re a team player)
    • Use a cable locator (Proper tool for the trade)
    • Put your phone in the other room, stream camera feed to your work laptop (The tech approach)
    • Unscrew the bulb. Now you know that no switch controls the bulb (Exposing the flaw in the task’s phrasing)
    • Open switch panel and disconnect one switch. Wait a day. If no one complains, disconnect the second. Wait a day. If no one complains, it’s probably the third. For good measure, disconnect the third switch. If still no one complains, remove all switches and the lightbulb, since they’re not needed anymore. (The Sysadmin approach)
  • JRaccoon@discuss.tchncs.de
    1·
    22 days ago

    I think I was asked this very question in an interview once. I think I answered something along the lines of ‘If you have a light switch like that here in the office, the first thing I would recommend is calling in an electrician to change and move the switch to the correct room. Why would you have a light switch that controls a light in a different room and apparently two switches that do nothing??’

    Got the job.

  • emotional_soup_88@programming.devEnglish
    0·
    22 days ago

    Dead serious question: I have only ever worked in the public sector (state level and local municipality) but often see or hear about these seemingly idiotic “interview questions” on television (and obviously memes).

    Is this:

    1. just a meme
    2. just a joke
    3. an actual phenomenon in the private sector

    If 3, what on earth is its purpose and what could the interviewer possibly find out about the applicant by asking this?

    I’m calm.