Puzzles Interview Questions and Answers

1 :: What are the next three numbers in the given series?

1 1 2 1 2 2 3 1 2 2 3 2 3 3 4 1 2 2 3 2 3 3 4 2 3 3 ?

The next three numbers in the series are 4, 3, 4.

The pattern is - the number of 1's in the binary expansion of the positive integers starting from 1.

Number Binary Equivalent # of 1's

1 1 1
2 10 1
3 11 2
4 100 1
5 101 2
6 110 2
7 111 3
8 1000 1
9 1001 2
10 1010 2
11 1011 3
12 1100 2
13 1101 3
14 1110 3
15 1111 4
16 10000 1
17 10001 2
18 10010 2
19 10011 3
20 10100 2
21 10101 3
22 10110 3
23 10111 4
24 11000 2
25 11001 3
26 11010 3
27 11011 4
28 11100 3
29 11101 4

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2 :: Substitute digits for the letters to make the following Division true

O U T
-------------
S T E M | D E M I S E

| D M O C
-------------
T U I S

S T E M
----------
Z Z Z E

Z U M M
--------
I S T

Note that the leftmost letter cant be zero in any word. Also, there must be a one-to-one mapping between digits and letters. e.g. if you substitute 3 for the letter M, no other letter can be 3 and all other M in the puzzle must be 3?

C=0, U=1, S=2, T=3, O=4, M=5, I=6, Z=7, E=8, D=9

It is obvious that U=1 (as U*STEM=STEM) and C=0 (as I-C=I).
S*O is a single digit and also S*T is a single digit. Hence, their values (O, S, T) must be 2, 3 or 4 (as they can not be 0 or 1 or greater than 4).

Consider, STEM*O=DMOC, where C=0. It means that M must be 5. Now, its simple. O=4, S=2, T=3, E=8, Z=7, I=6 and D=9.

O U T 4 1 3
------------- -------------
S T E M | D E M I S E 2 3 8 5 | 9 8 5 6 2 8

| D M O C | 9 5 4 0
------------- -------------
T U I S 3 1 6 2

S T E M 2 3 8 5
---------- ----------
Z Z Z E 7 7 7 8

Z U M M 7 1 5 5
-------- --------
I S T 6 2 3

Also, when arranged from 0 to 9, it spells CUSTOMIZED.

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3 :: There are 10 statements written on a piece of paper:

1. At least one of statements 9 and 10 is true.
2. This either is the first true or the first false statement.
3. There are three consecutive statements, which are false.
4. The difference between the numbers of the last true and the first true statement divides the number, that is to be found.
5. The sum of the numbers of the true statements is the number, that is to be found.
6. This is not the last true statement.
7. The number of each true statement divides the number, that is to be found.
8. The number that is to be found is the percentage of true statements.
9. The number of divisors of the number, that is to be found, (apart from 1 and itself) is greater than the sum of the numbers of the true statements.
10. There are no three consecutive true statements.

Find the minimal possible number?

The numebr is 420.

If statement 6 is false, it creates a paradox. Hence, Statement 6 must be true.
Consider Statement 2:
* If it is true, it must be the first true statement. Otherwise, it creates a paradox.

* If it is false, it must be the second false statement. Otherwise, it creates a paradox.

In both the cases, Statement 1 is false.

As Statement 1 is false, Statement 9 and Statement 10 both are false i.e. there are three consecutive true statements.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
False - - - - True - - False False

Let's assume that Statement 3 is false i.e. there are no three consecutive false statements. It means that Statement 2 and Statement 8 must be true, else there will be three consecutive false statements.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
False True False - - True - True False False

Also, atleast two of Statements 4, 5 and 7 must be true as there are three consecutive true statements.

According to Statement 8, the number that is to be found is the percentage of true statements. Hence, number is either 50 or 60. Now if Statement 7 is true, then the number of each true statement divides the number, that is to be found. But 7 and 8 do not divide either 50 or 60. Hence, Statement 7 is false which means that Statement 4 and 5 are true. But Statement 5 contradicts the Statement 8. Hence, our assumption that Statement 3 is false is wrong and Statement 3 is true i.e. there are 3 consecutive false statements which means that Statement 8 is false as there is no other possibilities of 3 consecutive false statements.

Also, Statement 7 is true as Statement 6 is not the last true statement.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
False - True - - True True False False False

According to Statement 7, the number of each true statement divides the number, that is to be found. And according to Statement 5, the sum of the numbers of the true statements is the number, that is to be found. For all possible combinations Statement 5 is false.

There 3 consecutive true statements. Hence, Statement 2 and Statement 4 are true.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
False True True True False True True False False False

Now, the conditions for the number to be found are:

1. The numebr is divisible by 5 (Statement 4)
2. The numebr is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 (Statement 7)
3. The number of divisors of the number, that is to be found, (apart from 1 and itself) is not greater than the sum of the numbers of the true statements. (Statement 9)

The minimum possible number is 420.

The divisors of 420, apart from 1 and itself are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 20, 21, 28, 30, 35, 42, 60, 70, 84, 105, 140, 210. There are total of 22 divisors. Also, the sum of the numbers of the true statements is 22 (2+3+4+6+7=22), which satisfies the third condition.

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4 :: Which number in the series does not fit in the given series:

1 4 3 16 6 36 7 64 9 100?

This is a series with odd positions containing position number whereas even positions containing square of the position.i.e. even position numbers are 4 16 36 64 100 and odd position numbers are 1 3 5 7 9

Hence, 6 does not fit in the series. It should be 5.

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5 :: In the middle of the confounded desert, there is the lost city of "Ash". To reach it, I will have to travel overland by foot from the coast. On a trek like this, each person can only carry enough rations for five days and the farthest we can travel in one day is 30 miles. Also, the city is 120 miles from the starting point.
What I am trying to figure out is the fewest number of persons, including myself, that I will need in our Group so that I can reach the city, stay overnight, and then return to the coast without running out of supplies.

How many persons (including myself) will I need to accomplish this mission?

Total 4 persons (including you) required.

It is given that each person can only carry enough rations for five days. And there are 4 persons. Hence, total of 20 days rations is available.

1. First Day : 4 days of rations are used up. One person goes back using one day of rations for the return trip. The rations remaining for the further trek is for 15 days.

2. Second Day : The remaining three people use up 3 days of rations. One person goes back using 2 days of rations for the return trip. The rations remaining for the further trek is for 10 days.

3. Third Day : The remaining two people use up 2 days of rations. One person goes back using 3 days of rations for the return trip. The rations remaining for the further trek is for 5 days.

4. Fourth Day : The remaining person uses up one day of rations. He stays overnight. The next day he returns to the coast using 4 days of rations.

Thus, total 4 persons, including you are required.

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