Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poker player]

It seems that a lot of companies have climbed on the Microsoft bandwagon recently when it comes to interviewing. Not only are companies trying to hire the best and brightest, but also those who can think outside the box. How is this accomplished? THE DREADED BRAIN TEASER INTERVIEW

[plattwaz]

Where is your quote from?

[poker player]

[huffdaddy]

[plattwaz]

[poker player]

[flotsam]

[poker player]

[laogaiguk]

[cubanlord]

hmmm......how about.......because they have to consider the fact that when looking at a human from the top part down, the circumference of a person can be seen. Because humans have so many curves, using circumference to estimate the widest point between A and B on a human seems only fit.

Did I answer that correctly?

[flotsam]

The only thing I can think of is that a square cover could fall into the hole more easily if twisted a bit.

And...it's easier to roll a heavy round cover...?

And....balls. 4?

**EDIT**

Yeah, if twisted diagonally, a square cover would slip in. This has got to be one. Not so sure about the rolling answer--but it seems bloody practical to me.

[matthews_world]

[edit]

[laogaiguk]

[flotsam]

[matthews_world]

Wikipedia: Manholes


A maintenance cover or manhole cover is a removable plate forming the lid over the opening of a maintenance hole, to prevent someone from falling in and to keep unauthorized persons out.

Manhole covers usually weigh more than 100 pounds (50 kg), partly because the weight keeps them in place when traffic passes over them, and partly because they are often made out of cast iron, sometimes with infills of concrete. This makes them inexpensive and strong but heavy. They usually feature "pick holes", in which a hook handle is inserted to lift them. Specialized manhole hooks are manufactured for this purpose.

India has become the world leader in manufacturing manhole covers, driving many manufacturers in other countries out of business. Its extremely low labor costs have overcome even the cost of shipping such heavy objects.

Although the covers are too large to be collectible, their ubiquity and the many patterns and descriptions printed on them has led some people to collect pictures of covers from around the world.

In some areas the term "manhole" is now regarded as a sexist term, especially now that woman are increasingly working in the utility sector and using the devices. The term "maintenance cover" is used by some cities as a nonsexist term and to correspond to the traditional abbreviation "MH" on old engineering diagrams.


Why are they round?
The question of why manhole covers are typically round, at least in the U.S., was made notorious by Microsoft, who began asking it as a job-interview question. Originally meant as a psychological assessment of how one approaches a question with more than one "right" answer, the problem exerts a strange fascination on people, who seek to find alternate explanations, from the pragmatic and satirical to the philosophical. One practical answer being, "Manhole covers are round because manholes are round."

Reasons for the shape include: Round tubes are the strongest and most material-efficient shape against the compression of the earth around them. A circle is the simplest shape whereby the lid cannot fall into the hole. (A Reuleaux triangle or other curve of constant width would also serve this purpose, but round covers are much easier to manufacture.) The bearing surfaces of manhole frames and covers are machined to assure flatness and prevent them from becoming dislodged by traffic. Round castings are much easier to machine using horizontal boring mills. Circular covers can also be moved around by rolling, and they need not be aligned to put them back.

However, other manhole shapes can be found, usually squares or rectangles. Nashua, New Hampshire may be unique in the U.S. for having triangular manhole covers that point in the direction of the underlying flow. The city is phasing out the triangles, which were made by a local foundry, because they are not large enough to meet modern safety standards, and larger triangles cannot be found.


Trivia

Can a race car lift a manhole cover?
Formula 1 race cars create so much vacuum due to their aerodynamics that they can lift a manhole cover above the ground. During races on city streets, the manhole covers must be welded down to prevent injury. In 1990, while racing in Montreal, racer Jesus Pareja's car struck a manhole cover that was lifted by the ground effect of the car he was following, causing his car to catch fire.


The first man-made object in space?
An urban legend claims that a manhole cover was accidentally launched from its shaft during an underground nuclear test in the 1950s, at great enough speed to leave the solar system. The story is based on a real incident in August 27, 1957 during the Operation Plumbbob nuclear tests, where a heavy steel plate cap was blasted off the test shaft at tremendous velocity, never to be seen again. However, it is doubtful that it left the atmosphere.


Rampant manhole theft in China
February 8, 2006 - 1:17AM

Thieves in the Chinese capital of Beijing stole 4,000 manhole covers and sold them for scrap metal last year, despite government efforts to put a lid on the pilfering, state press said.

The loss was a sharp fall from the 24,000 manhole covers that went missing in 2004, but still left city streets and sidewalks hazardous, Xinhua news agency reported.

Thieves can get up to 20 yuan ($A3.20) from scrap dealers for each manhole cover, equivalent to the daily wage of some migrant workers, the report said.

Recent laws forbid scrap metal traders from buying the covers, while local utilities are being held liable for not immediately replacing the missing covers.

The rampant theft of the covers has also led authorities to make them out of non-recyclable and non-metallic materials, it said.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/this-is-valuable--in-china/2006/02/08/1139074238163.html