- Neither? Because the anchor was displacing water when it was on the boat just as much as it would when it's below it?
~Signed, also didn’t take physics in college
That’s my guess as well. In terms of the second question, I’d guess something to do with the friction of larger tires in relation to speed and curves. But, I am guessing bc even though I have 3 kids who love physics, I don’t!
A floating object displaces an amount of water that weighs the same as the object, while an object that sinks displaces an amount of water that is of the same volume of the object (which is less than the amount of water that weighs the same as the sunk object).
The question may be incompletely specified, though. Does the anchor sink to where it rests on the bottom of the pond, or does it remain suspended by the boat because the anchor chain or cable is not long enough for the anchor to sink to the bottom?
I thought about the two questions and then checked my answers by looking online (no spoilers). I got the first one wrong, got the second one right. Never took a Physics class but understand some basics. Will never be interviewing for an engineering job… 
My H uses the boat question at the beginning of all his science classes, with them making a model first and then working out the answer based on their results (many predispose the answer wrong, and get messed up trying to model it then). Really great introduction to how science works.
The funny this is that I think I have a pretty good understanding of the first question because I once taught preschool and I spend a lot of time with 3 year olds doing informal experiments in the water table (an actual table filled with water and various objects)!
Kid recently interviewed for a banking job. There were 3 types of interviews: 1-technical finance, 2-“get to know you” - free form conversation, 3-problem solving.
Problem solving questions included “how many bricks are on your campus” - there is no right answer to this, they want to hear your reasoning and understand your mental math capabilities. They also asked the bat/ball question but total was $1.50.
Another question was - “you have 8 balls, all the same size. All but one are the same weight. You have a scale but can only use it twice. How do you identify the ball that isn’t the same?” (Note, weight difference is not discernible by picking the balls up.)
The ball question comes from this book.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Would-Move-Mount-Fuji/dp/0316778494
The problem with some of these puzzle questions is that some people have seen them before.
Indeed, some applicants who know that such questions may be used will do “test prep” for them. So that injects a selection factor that may not be an intended one.
^ But don’t you want an employee that does their homework/research ahead of time? That’s not a bad trait in an employee, especially for an analytical job.
If you want to favor “test prep”, then do so with the knowledge that that is what you are selecting for. But also consider making the process more public, including sample questions, to give a wider range of applicants a chance to show what you are looking for (some companies do this), rather than just privileging those “in the know” through connections.
Google is a pretty good connection to have. 
Seriously, everyone should prep for job interviews researching the companies and their practices. The internet is a equalizer.
Often not “test prep” as much as “I can read interview questions section of glassdoor” or “I know how to google ‘interview questions for company x’”. Or even just general tech interview questions.
I worked for a company that had a HUGE and detailed website for applicants/interviewees. Huge. Updated constantly with current information; we had a team of employees dedicated to Recruiting Communications and they were responsible for making sure that the process to apply and interview and accept a job was as transparent as possible. The FAQ section alone was massive-- it truly covered almost everything someone would need to know ahead of time. Sample questions, how to prepare, how long a first round would take, how long before you’d hear back, and several samples of various diagnostic tests we used so candidates would see there were no “gotcha” questions- reading and interpreting a graph- pretty straightforward if you were paying attention in 7th grade math; answering straightforward math questions, multiple choice answers to show reading comprehension.
Do you know how many candidates showed up for interviews without having checked the website? Even though every email they got from recruiting confirming their interview time, how to get a cash advance to cover travel, how to pick up their boarding pass- literally every email had the link to the recruiting website.
OMG. I’m sure these are the people who then post on Glassdoor that the interviews were stressful and the company was terrible at communicating.
google is your friend. And there is nothing wrong with asking your recruiting contact “do you have prep materials I can take a look at?” But then you need to actually READ the prep materials…
Google is one of those companies that makes information about its interview process very available to applicants, in order to equalize the “test prep” playing field. Of course, the questions are designed with the expectation of “test prep” in mind (some of the examples in this thread would be bad interview questions in this context).
Google’s product, SEARCH, makes info about interview processes at many companies very available to applicants.
Those who use it, anyway. @blossom 's story doesn’t surprise me at all. RTFM.
I think it was a reasonable question. I personally read it too fast the first time and gave the subtraction answer ($1 & 10 cents), but then I went reread it. (I love algebra but solved it trial/error, with initial guess right). Somebody who read it right the first time might be a better pick for the job.
Yes, google is very handy. For example, I just googled RTFM to see what it meant. 
My brother once hired someone who had a two year gap in her resume. He asked her what she’d been up to, and apparently she’d spent the time playing something like World of Warcraft. He liked her anyway, and her honesty. He then said we give everyone we like a test of their computing skills. She then asked what it would cover, he told her, and she said, I’m a little behind on some of that, but can I study over the weekend. She aced the test. I heard about this short after they’d decided to hire her with some trepidation. A few years later I asked how she’d turned out, and he said, “Great, she’s one of our best employees.”
Such a question would result in one of the following:
A. Candidate knows how to apply basic algebra and gets it correct.
B. Candidate does not know how to apply basic algebra and…
- Has seen the question before and gets it correct.
- Has not seen the question before and gets it incorrect.
I.e. results A and B1 are the same, even though A is desired (true positive) but B1 is a false positive (B2 is the true negative). The intention is to select for the ability to apply basic algebra, but the possibility of B1 means that it also selects for an unintended aspect.