engineer test

[John Loftus]

The following short quiz consists of 4 questions, and it will tell you
whether you are qualified to be a engineer. Scroll down for the correct
answer. The questions are NOT that difficult.


1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?
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The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and
close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things
in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?
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Did you say, "Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the
refrigerator?" (Wrong Answer)
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the
elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through
the repercussions of your previous actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend
except one. Which animal does not attend?
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Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You
just put him in there. This tests your memory. OK, even if you did not
answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more
chance to show your true abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross but crocodiles inhabit it. How do you
manage it?
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Correct Answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the
Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

Around 90% of the engineers tested got all questions wrong, but many
preschoolers got several correct answers. This conclusively disproves
the theory that most engineers have the brains of a four year old.

[ 09-24-2003: Message edited by: John Loftus ]

[ 09-24-2003: Message edited by: John Loftus ]</p>

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by John Loftus:
This conclusively disproves
the theory that most engineers have the brains of a four year old.

[ 09-24-2003: Message edited by: John Loftus ]

[ 09-24-2003: Message edited by: John Loftus ]<hr></blockquote>

no, most 4 year olds are smarter than the engineers I deal with. "We designed it, now make it work"

 

[aeronca65t]

I purposely answered them in the manner that was expected, thus getting them all correct, even though I believe the answers given are wrong. A real engineer would always evaluate the questions with cold, hard logic.

Ahem...*correct* answers.

#1-Giraffes can't fit in refrigerators.
#2-Neither can elephants.
#3-Animals do not have conferences (and who can blame them...most conferences are "death by boredom").
#4- Any self-respecting engineer would build a bridge!

OK, I better get back to work......now where did I put that pocket-protector?

 

[John Loftus]

Ah ...

but to play devil's advocate (he must have a bunch of lawyers no?)

#1 The size of the fridge was never specified. It could be a very large refrigerator.
#2 Ditto
#3 The Lion King® is not a real animal. He's an entertainer. Performers can hold conferences or even decide to run for Governor or President.
#4

Or perhaps a catapult!

Cheers,
John

 

[PC]

I would argue that there is insufficient data presented to resolve unique solutions. Any solutions that satisfies the stated requirements are equally valid unless further performance evaluation criteria are specified.

Since the size of refrigerator was never specified there is no reason it couldn't be large enough to hold both the elephant and the giraffe.

Anyone who has ever chased the Good-Humor man will know that refrigerators can be built on mobile platforms and therefore could conceivably transport their contents to the conference.

As it was explicitly stated that crocodiles inhabit the river (a design constraint, present tense) we cannot assume that they'll be away at the conference.

How the engineer would address the crossing will depend on their individual expertise. A civil engineer may elect to build a bridge. A mining engineer would tunnel under the river. A mechanical engineer may opt for the catapult. An aerospace engineer would surely construct an aircraft while a marine systems engineer would likely build a vessel, either surface or subsurface depending on their background. A software engineer will dismiss it as a hardware problem.


PC.

 

[aeronca65t]

For #1 and #2: Generally, an engineer would assume that "customary" sizes prevail unless otherwise specified (a giraffe that was sized as -3 standard deviations would be unlikely to fit in a household fridge that was +3 standard deviations in size, right?).
On a more pragmatic level, I was once licked by a giraffe, while driving through the safari park of Six Flags-Great Adventure (and I was driving an Austin 1300 America at the time). I gotta tell you: after that experience, I don't think a giraffes *tongue* could fit in a normal fridge!

But, OK....I'll conceed that a *really* tiny giraffe or elephant *might* fit in a large, walk-in fridge. Maybe.

For #3: If Lion King isn't a real animal, why would real animals be interested? Personally, I have a cat that's completely disinterested in people. The only thing he watchs on TV is cartoons (which, come to think of it, may be indestinquishable from some of the political stuff you mentioned). My brother's Retriever might attend, but only if there was a lot of food and fire hydrants.
Anyway, having an entertainer running an animal conference would be similar to a Porsche-guy running a conference for LBCs.

And #4: The pilot in me dislikes the catapult idea. Going up is easy.......the tricky part is the landing.
I'm sticking with the bridge.

PC: Your first statement sounds like everything my boss says.......your last statement sounds like all the EEs I work with. And I forgot about the "Good Humor Truck Paradigm".

 

[w. scott brunkhurst]

It seems obvious that one would open the frig door, remove the elephant and ride across the river on the elephant's back. In engineering we call it an opportunity.

SB

 

[Andy Blackley]

Looking at the problem as stated, one would wonder why put an animal in a refrigerator in the first place? The obvious answer would be that it is intended to be a foodstuff. As such it would be killed, cleaned, butchered and packaged into appropriately sized containers.
Every engineer would, of course, know that killing endangered species is unethical and would simply decline the project in the first place.
The sensible engineer would be travelling in a vehicle suited to the environment, i.e a Land Rover, and would much prefer to motor throught the river rather than get needlessly wet.

 

[Andy Blackley]

I forgot to address Item 3:
I am a civil engineer, and not qualified to provide professional opinions on animal behavior.
Clearly I would have to hire a sub-consultant to answer this question.
Besides, the State of Ohio already done giv me a piece o'paper whats sez I am qual-e-fied.

 

[PC]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by aeronca65t:
Your first statement sounds like everything my boss says.......your last statement sounds like all the EEs I work with.<hr></blockquote>


Alas, in this age of spiraling dependence on software and digital everything many an EE has fallen prey to the dark side, forsaking the real world we live in for the temptations of cyberspace, choosing to stuff more and more Boolean equations into ever denser packages or generate greater and greater volumes of code.

They have lost touch with the fundamental purpose of the EE, to force poor, helpless, unsuspecting electrons into slavery to satisfy our worldly desires.


PC.

 

[TerrierCarrier]

Sorry I came to the party a bit late.

aeronca65t you had it almost right...A real engineer would evaluate the questions with good cold beer.

Logic is always better when well lubricated.

 

[tony barnhill]

But, if the refrigerator was really a tool box..or, the tool box was really a refrigerator...could/would the elephant fit?

[ 10-17-2003: Message edited by: tony barnhill ]</p>

 

[pmenhusen]

Before beginning, you must have your environmental impact study. Aside from the earlier concerns regarding endangered species, we must also consider the possibility that refrigeration may result in agitation of the animals, which could result in damage to the refrigerator, resulting in a release of freon into the atmosphere. Your animal conference will require some extraordinary waste management systems, and you will be required to segregate the predators from the prey, so as to avoid the prey's civil rights from being violated by ingestion. In all likelikhood, this alligator habitat is considered a "wetland", so your bridge and tunnell proposals have no chance of approval. By the way, OSHA is looking for you. Something about a restraining order to enjoin you from construction and/or operation of any and all catapults.

 

[Jerry]

To further the discourse on Engineers: My daughter is in electrical engineering school right now. She says there are plenty of geeks and strange thinkers.

Introverts and Extrovert Engineers

The extroverts are the ones that stare at your shoes.

 

[Mark Jones]

Hey, I represent that comment

 

[PC]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Jerry:
...My daughter is in electrical engineering school right now. She says there are plenty of geeks and strange thinkers. ...
<hr></blockquote>

It's great to hear that we still have lots of nerds in engineering school. I was getting worried that technology was losing its oddball image and attracting normal people.

Don't get me wrong. I love normal people. Some of them can even do well in engineering school. I just wouldn't want to fly in an airplane designed by one.

PC.