wu :: forums
« wu :: forums - How many cars are there in the USA? »

Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register.
Mar 29th, 2024, 5:38am

RIDDLES SITE WRITE MATH! Home Home Help Help Search Search Members Members Login Login Register Register
   wu :: forums
   riddles
   microsoft
(Moderators: Icarus, towr, william wu, SMQ, ThudnBlunder, Grimbal, Eigenray)
   How many cars are there in the USA?
« Previous topic | Next topic »
Pages: 1 2 3  Reply Reply Notify of replies Notify of replies Send Topic Send Topic Print Print
   Author  Topic: How many cars are there in the USA?  (Read 55223 times)
jack_the_ripper
Newbie
*





   


Posts: 1
How many cars are there in the USA?  
« on: Dec 24th, 2003, 2:24am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

can anyone tell me what will be a suitable answer for this? i am gonna give an interview in mircosoft and expecting more helps from all of u friends..  Cool
IP Logged
towr
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
*****



Some people are average, some are just mean.

   


Gender: male
Posts: 13730
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #1 on: Dec 24th, 2003, 3:35am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

I'd say, too many
I'd estimate some 150 million, but if you want a more exact number I can google for it Wink (really, who cares about trivia, as long as you know where you can get the answer in reasonable time)
IP Logged

Wikipedia, Google, Mathworld, Integer sequence DB
Viperdude619
Guest

Email

Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #2 on: Jan 11th, 2004, 5:24pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify Remove Remove

Here's how I would answer: "There are 143,781,202 cars in the USA, if you disagree then count them all so you're sure I'm wrong."
IP Logged
Dqwez
Newbie
*





  dqwez  


Gender: male
Posts: 2
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #3 on: Mar 12th, 2004, 2:14pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

Say the US has 400mln approx people.  
 
40% might own/drive cars. (That includes the Truck driving Bubbas down south).  
 
That gives you an approx figure of about 160mln. Thats a lot of cars.  
 
 Roll Eyes
IP Logged
Cathos
Full Member
***



Carpe Canum

   
Email

Gender: male
Posts: 246
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #4 on: Mar 14th, 2004, 10:09pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

There are no cars.  The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy explains this rather nicely:
 
1) Space is infinite
 
2) Only a finite number of planets are inhabited
 
3) Any finite number divided by infinity is so close to nothing as to make no difference, therefore the number of inhabited planets, and thus people, is zero, and anyone you meet along the way is just a figment of a deranged imagination
 
Since there are no people in the universe, nobody is around to build cars, and even if they could, they would have nobody to market them to.  So it seems the whole automobile industry is one of the worst bussiness decisions in the entire universe.
 
 Tongue
IP Logged

Sum Arbor
pedronunezmd
Junior Member
**





   


Gender: male
Posts: 115
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #5 on: Jun 5th, 2004, 2:24pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

Quote:
really, who cares about trivia, as long as you know where you can get the answer in reasonable time

This is my first post in the microsoft section of the forum, but my assumption is that microsoft is more interested in how you arrive at an answer during the interview, rather than seeing if you know the "answer" to this type of "trivia" question?
IP Logged
manu sharma
Guest

Email

Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #6 on: Aug 22nd, 2004, 11:04am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify Remove Remove

it is my first mail,and in this question interviewer is looking for the approach you used.i think they want to know how will you count the number of cars in USA?
 
 you can count the number of cars by counting the number of cars coming at petrol filling station for a number of days.because people used to take the petrol from nearby petrol filling station. Huh
 
 
IP Logged
Patashu
Newbie
*





    Patashu0
Email

Gender: male
Posts: 18
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #7 on: Sep 11th, 2004, 4:30pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

on Mar 14th, 2004, 10:09pm, Cathos wrote:
There are no cars.  The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy explains this rather nicely:
 
1) Space is infinite
 
2) Only a finite number of planets are inhabited
 
3) Any finite number divided by infinity is so close to nothing as to make no difference, therefore the number of inhabited planets, and thus people, is zero, and anyone you meet along the way is just a figment of a deranged imagination
 
Since there are no people in the universe, nobody is around to build cars, and even if they could, they would have nobody to market them to.  So it seems the whole automobile industry is one of the worst bussiness decisions in the entire universe.
 
 Tongue

 
And there are also no people to write up those paragraphs, or to post/quote them when neccesary.
IP Logged
Three Hands
Uberpuzzler
*****





    Reucserru+Oymai


Gender: male
Posts: 715
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #8 on: Sep 12th, 2004, 6:06am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

However, given that a finite region of space has been determined (the USA), the total number of people and automobiles is not 0 at present (I believe).
 
However, I would propose working out the position of each car in the USA (using a satellite image or similar), which would have the advantage of causing the traffic cops some problems, as they can't work out their speed Tongue
 
Or, more seriously, look at statistics that have been compiled about the total number of cars in the USA, or just run an estimate on the number of households in the USA multiplied by the average number of cars per household in the USA (both would require information that I don't personally know, but suspect have been compiled by government surveys...)
IP Logged
John_Gaughan
Uberpuzzler
*****



Behold, the power of cheese!

5187759 5187759   john23874   SnowmanJTG
WWW Email

Gender: male
Posts: 767
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #9 on: Sep 13th, 2004, 6:36am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

on Sep 12th, 2004, 6:06am, Three Hands wrote:
However, given that a finite region of space has been determined (the USA), the total number of people and automobiles is not 0 at present (I believe).

I am a U.S. citizen and own two cars. Therefor the answer is not 0 Smiley
 
Anyway, I think it was FDR that promised a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage. One answer would be "the number of cars is equal to the number of garages."
IP Logged

x = (0x2B | ~0x2B)
x == the_question
Grimbal
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
*****






   


Gender: male
Posts: 7526
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #10 on: Sep 13th, 2004, 3:26pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

This is not a logical statement, unless it is stated that your 2 cars are in the United States.
 
When Cathos says "there are no cars", it does not mean the number is mathematically 0, but just close to zero.  And this is true, I guess, at the scale of the Universe.
IP Logged
John_Gaughan
Uberpuzzler
*****



Behold, the power of cheese!

5187759 5187759   john23874   SnowmanJTG
WWW Email

Gender: male
Posts: 767
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #11 on: Sep 14th, 2004, 11:48am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

First you say my answer is not logical, which is true, then you talk about zero not being mathematical zero but "close enough." You are contradicting yourself Grin
 
I own two cars, both of which are located in the United States. No, sorry, I jointly own one them with my wife. So do I really own 1.5 cars, from a logical standpoint?
 
Anyway, from the standpoint of a single person sitting and talking with an interviewer, one is not expected to say "from the Universe's perspective, there are close to zero cars in the U.S." One is expected to give an answer from a human's perspective.
IP Logged

x = (0x2B | ~0x2B)
x == the_question
Grimbal
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
*****






   


Gender: male
Posts: 7526
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #12 on: Sep 14th, 2004, 3:45pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

on Sep 14th, 2004, 11:48am, John_Gaughan wrote:

... , then you talk about zero not being mathematical zero but "close enough." ...

I don't think I said that.  But I agree, if you really want the job you better don't refer to the Hitchhiker's Guide.
IP Logged
towr
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
*****



Some people are average, some are just mean.

   


Gender: male
Posts: 13730
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #13 on: Sep 15th, 2004, 1:27am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

If they don't appreciate literary references I wouldn't want to work there anyway Tongue
IP Logged

Wikipedia, Google, Mathworld, Integer sequence DB
Cathos
Full Member
***



Carpe Canum

   
Email

Gender: male
Posts: 246
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #14 on: Sep 16th, 2004, 9:04pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

Well, given an appropraite margin of error...  Zero cars, plus or minus a billion...
IP Logged

Sum Arbor
Icarus
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
*****



Boldly going where even angels fear to tread.

   


Gender: male
Posts: 4863
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #15 on: Sep 17th, 2004, 7:28pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

The answer depends on which job you are applying for. If you are an accountant, "how many do you want there to be?" might be a successful response.
IP Logged

"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
John_Gaughan
Uberpuzzler
*****



Behold, the power of cheese!

5187759 5187759   john23874   SnowmanJTG
WWW Email

Gender: male
Posts: 767
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #16 on: Sep 21st, 2004, 8:31am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

An accountant applying for a job at Enron?
 
Anyway, you are correct, it depends on the job. Microsoft employs more than just programmers. Lawyers might give one nonsense response, accountants another, and PR/advertising people another. Programmers/computer scientists are probably the ones most likely to overanalyze, however. Just scroll up in this thread Smiley
IP Logged

x = (0x2B | ~0x2B)
x == the_question
Whymme
Guest

Email

Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #17 on: Oct 2nd, 2004, 11:56am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify Remove Remove

on Mar 14th, 2004, 10:09pm, Cathos wrote:
There are no cars.  The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy explains this rather nicely:
 
[SNIP]
 
Since there are no people in the universe, nobody is around to build cars, and even if they could, they would have nobody to market them to.  So it seems the whole automobile industry is one of the worst bussiness decisions in the entire universe.
 
 Tongue

 
Well, yeah. Try this at your job interview, end the explanation with: "and thus there are no cars", and the interviewer will say: "According to that logic, there is no job. Goodbye."
IP Logged
freaks
Guest

Email

Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #18 on: Nov 6th, 2004, 2:34am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify Remove Remove

Total number of cars in the USA = (Total number of cars manufactured in the USA + Total number of cars imported in the USA - Total number of cars exported from the USA)
 
Subtract (Total number of cars that have been scrapped in the USA), if you want a more perfect answer. Roll Eyes
 
Am I politiocally correct?  Grin
IP Logged
Sam
Guest

Email

Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #19 on: Nov 7th, 2004, 8:36pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify Remove Remove

Let
Population = 250 million
People per household = 3
Cars/household    = 1
Avg life of car      = 10 years
 
Total cars = ((25 X 10^6) / 3) / 10 - 1
IP Logged
Grimbal
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
*****






   


Gender: male
Posts: 7526
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #20 on: Nov 8th, 2004, 2:03am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

on Nov 7th, 2004, 8:36pm, Sam wrote:
Let
Population = 250 million
People per household = 3
Cars/household    = 1
Avg life of car      = 10 years
 
Total cars = ((25 X 10^6) / 3) / 10 - 1

 
Huh
(25 X 10^6): don't you mean 25 x 10^7?
/10 : that would mean you want the number of cars *bought every year*.
-1 : did you just break your car?
IP Logged
coolnfundu
Junior Member
**





   
WWW

Posts: 116
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #21 on: Nov 10th, 2004, 9:41pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

well to approach the answer with any degree of surety I would definitely need more information ... but to start with I would go like this ... aprox population of USA is x ... and approx population of people ownig cars be say 20 percent or 30 percent ... (minus children, old people, so on) so there so I would go with .25x as number of people with cars and that should give me an approx number of so many cars ...  
 
To arrive at an exact answer needs further information and if I had an option to locate that information, I would rather call up car office and find the number out
IP Logged

:: Cool Obvious is always wrong Cry ::
the microsoft test taker
Guest

Email

Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #22 on: Dec 8th, 2004, 3:11am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify Remove Remove

hi! jack_the_ripper Roll Eyes
 
even i am to take the microsoft interview in the near future.Please mail me any questions you come across while your research for the questions and i'll do the same from my side.Also mail the questions that you faced while being interviewed by microsoft.
Hope you have seen the questions available on the net for the microsoft test/interview.
do take a look.
reagrds,
test taker
IP Logged
Icarus
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
*****



Boldly going where even angels fear to tread.

   


Gender: male
Posts: 4863
Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #23 on: Dec 8th, 2004, 8:09am »
Quote Quote Modify Modify

Good luck with your job interview, but you might notice that Jack posted this a year ago. And he has never posted again. I wouldn't count on his still being around.
IP Logged

"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
kane
Guest

Email

Re: How many cars are there in the USA?  
« Reply #24 on: Dec 9th, 2004, 9:02pm »
Quote Quote Modify Modify Remove Remove

i agree with the above posts. the interviewer just wants to know how you think. the answer is not as important as your thought process.
 
with that said, i have another approach to the problem.
sampling:
consider the space of VIN numbers. these are essentially IDs for each car, with a finite length and pattern. let the total number of different combinations of VIN's be T.
randomly pick a set of VIN's. (this is very important. it must be random. you can't just look at the VIN's in your neighborhood, otherwise your sampling will be biased.)
there's probably some Database of valid VIN's.
figure out how many of your sample VIN's are valid VIN's (valid means there is a car associated with it and that it is in the U.S.)
the percentage of valid VIN's to T is approximately equal the total number of cars in the U.S.
 
how does that sound?
IP Logged
Pages: 1 2 3  Reply Reply Notify of replies Notify of replies Send Topic Send Topic Print Print

« Previous topic | Next topic »

Powered by YaBB 1 Gold - SP 1.4!
Forum software copyright © 2000-2004 Yet another Bulletin Board