Silicon Alley Insider is running a series of posts called “15 _______ questions that will make you feel stupid.” The blank has been filled twice with “Google interview” and most recently with “management consultant interview.” I particularly enjoyed one of the Google questions:
If the probability of observing a car in 30 minutes on a highway is 0.95, what is the probability of observing a car in 10 minutes (assuming constant default probability)?
I have no idea how the word “default” snuck in there – I’m guessing whoever wrote this had a need to relate things back to dangerous CDS! – but the question is a good one. However, the answers posted on the site are absolutely horrendous. One ardent commentator wrote:
“observing a car in 30 minutes on a highway”
If 30 min = 95%, then 100% probability = 30/0.95 => 31.5 min
(ie, the max interval between 2 cars could be 31.5 min)
Probability in 10 min = 10/31.5
You have to wonder if, by his logic, there’s really a 110% chance of seeing a car in 34.7 minutes?
The correct answer is below…
- The probability of observing no cars in 30 minutes is 1-95%, or 5%
- The probability of observing no cars in 10 minutes, p, must agree with the statement p^3 = 5%, since three consecutive carless 10 minute periods will pass with 5% probability.
- Therefore, p = 36.8%
- And the probability of observing a car in 10 minutes is 1-p, or 63.2%.