Could you work for Microsoft?

[mani]

Apparently these are questions that Microsoft have asked at job interviews or something.....

1 - You walk 5 miles south, turn left, walk 5 miles east, turn left again and then 5 miles north. You're now in the same place you started. What is the weather like?

2 - Why are manhole covers round rather than square?

3 - In a tube station, the builders put in only three escalators. Two always go up, but only one goes down. Why?

[WillowTheWhisp]

I know the first two but I'm not sure about the third so I don't think Bill Gates would have me.

[entwisi]

I wouldn't want to work for teh spawn of satan anyway but I do know all three

[Rosebud]

What are the answers?

[WillowTheWhisp]

My answers are:

1. blooming freezing!
2. so the lid doesn't fall in
3. escalators can be switched to go either way

[Rosebud]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

My answers are:

1. blooming freezing!
2. so the lid doesn't fall in
3. escalators can be switched to go either way

I get the second one- the cover is round because the hole is round BUT
why is 1- blomng freezing?
and
No idea stll about number 3

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Rosebud

I get the second one- the cover is round because the hole is round BUT
why is 1- blomng freezing?
and
No idea stll about number 3

Dear Mr Rosebud,

I'm sorry your application has not been successful this time.

Thank you for showing an interest in our company.

Your's faithfully,

[Rosebud]

Originally Posted by garinda

Dear Mr Rosebud,

I'm sorry your application has not been successful this time.

Thank you for showing an interest in our company.

Your's faithfully,

But-
Number 1 : You wouldnt be in the same place
and
Number 3: The fact that escalators can go up or down doesnt make sense as an answer.

I am starting to suspect that those who claim to know the answers actually dont.

[lancsdave]

Shall I be the spoilsport who posts the answers. I did know 2 & 3 because I worked for a civil engineering company years ago, but I had to look up number 1 so these are the answers from new scientist;

1 Cold. You could be at the North pole or in Antarctica, at a point 5 miles north of where the circle of Earth's latitude is 5 miles around. You could also be 5 miles north of any circle of latitude whose length is such that walking 5 miles along it takes you around a whole number of times

2 There's more than one answer, but the main one is that their shape means you can't drop them down the hole no matter which way you turn them

3 Plenty of possible answers, but one is that people disembark from trains in a surge, whereas those entering the station arrive in a steady trickle

[WillowTheWhisp]

The hole is round for the reason Dave said. If you had a square hole with a square cover and the cover was turned on it's side diagonally it would fall down the hole because the diagonal of the hole is longer than the side of the square lid. No matter which way you you turn a circular cover it is exactly the same shape with the same length diameter and so cannot fall into the hole.

The weather is bloomin cold because you would have to be at the north pole. If you look at a globe you'll see that all the lines of longitude converge at the poles. If you start at the pole and walk south (it really doesn't matter how far) then turn in any direction and walk along as far as you like then turn north again and walk exactly the same distance that you walked south you will end up at the north pole again. Because the questioner tells you that you have ended up at your starting point you must have started from the north pole as this is the only place on earth where you can do this. (If you walked north, then east or west and then south you would be at the south pole) And the weather at the north pole is a bit on the chilly side.

The third question does seem to be a trick question though because although there is indeed logic in the reasoning that people go up in droves and down in trickles I'm suspicious of the question itself because there is no such thing as an 'up' or 'down' escalator. There are just escalators and if there are 3 of them then 2 can be set to go up and one set to go down but equally all 3 could be set for up if they want to evacuate the station more quickly.

See, I'm living up to my reputation as a waffler again.

[Gayle]

I knew 1 and 2 but not sure about 3.

Could it be because it's the end of the line and more people get off than get on?

[cashman]

only knew no2,but then don't wanna work for em anyway.

[mani]

i knew all of them

i'm like a genius trapped in a dumb persons body

[garinda]

Originally Posted by mani

i knew all of them

i'm like a genius trapped in a dumb persons body

Dear Mr Mani,

Thank you for attending a recent interview with our company.

Sadly on this ocassion you were unsuccessful.

This may have had something to do with the fact that you remained silent throughout the interview, despite knowing the answers to the questions asked of you.

Your's faithfully,

[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by mani

i'm like a genius trapped in a dumb persons body

best excuse I've ever heard