This is an old one, often given to prospective interviewees seeking engineering positions. With maybe a bit of a twist for some of you. Please, no googling answers. Let's see how you do (yeah, youse guys are usually pretty quick):

You're playing ping pong with a bud when a crazy shot lands your only ball down a 2-foot deep steel pipe firmly embedded in your patio's concrete floor. (The pipe is usually used for a flagpole, but obviously it is not in at the moment.) The inside diameter of the pipe is just a hair's width large than the ball. You're too damn lazy to walk inside for anything, so decide you can get the ball out unharmed with only what you have. You have the following to work with:

A pen
Your house and car keys
A 10 foot length of paracord
A tactical folder knife with a 3" blade
A 6-volt flashlight
A Glock 9mm pistol with extra standard cap magazine
Your wallet
Two roast beef sandwiches
A 12-pack of beer

Question: what is the best way to retrieve the ping pong ball? (There may be more than one solution, but I'm looking for the best way.


[Not to scale]

Slowly pour the beer into the pipe.

Drink the beer and piss in the hole, floating the ping pong ball to the top?

Use your wallet to buy a new ball because it’s cheaper than pouring out the twelve pack of beer to float the ball up.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
Use your wallet to buy a new ball because it’s cheaper than pouring out the twelve pack of beer to float the ball up.

The pipe isn't that big, it would only take 2 or 3 beers.

Still more than a ball costs, but if you're too lazy to go inside, you're too lazy to go to the sporting goods store.

- Pour beer down the pipe to float the ball out
- shoot your friend in the leg for making you waste beer
- eat both sandwiches

Use the beer to float the ball. Nothing worth drinking really comes in a 12-pack anyway.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Drink the beer and piss in the hole, floating the ping pong ball to the top?

Yep, you guys are fast. Absolutely correct. Can you tell us why this is the best way?

You pour the beer into the hole until the ping pong ball floats to the top.
(I worked with many Engineers in my career and they taught well).

quote:

Nothing worth drinking really comes in a 12-pack anyway.

-Rob

Truth.

Patio's normally have a water hose, so I'd just turn the water on and float it out, thus saving all of the beer.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Drink the beer and piss in the hole, floating the ping pong ball to the top?

Yep, you guys are fast. Absolutely correct. Can you tell us why this is the best way?

You aren't wasting beer

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Drink the beer and piss in the hole, floating the ping pong ball to the top?

Yep, you guys are fast. Absolutely correct. Can you tell us why this is the best way?

Because one beer in usually results in about three beers out?

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Drink the beer and piss in the hole, floating the ping pong ball to the top?

Yep, you guys are fast. Absolutely correct. Can you tell us why this is the best way?

You aren't wasting beer

Correct! You and Johnny 3eagles are both hired.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Drink the beer and piss in the hole, floating the ping pong ball to the top?

Yep, you guys are fast. Absolutely correct. Can you tell us why this is the best way?

I spent 21 years in the Army, time not completely wasted

That’s a mechanical problem. I’m EE so - eat sammiches, drink beer, give wallet and keys to wife or girlfriend to go buy more beer and balls. Shoot her if she says no.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Drink the beer and piss in the hole, floating the ping pong ball to the top?

Yep, you guys are fast. Absolutely correct. Can you tell us why this is the best way?

Beer is carbonated so it would take a really long time to float the ball out as you kept waiting for the CO2 bubbles to disperse (the bubbles are probably lighter than the ping pong ball so they come out first). Not to forget the future ant problem it would create and the waste of beer.

Ken

Ken

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:
That’s a mechanical problem. I’m EE so - eat sammiches, drink beer, give wallet and keys to wife or girlfriend to go buy more beer and balls. Shoot her if she says no.

We'll call that Plan B.

quote:

Originally posted by KenS:

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Drink the beer and piss in the hole, floating the ping pong ball to the top?

Yep, you guys are fast. Absolutely correct. Can you tell us why this is the best way?

Beer is carbonated so it would take a really long time to float the ball out as you kept waiting for the CO2 bubbles to disperse (the bubbles are probably lighter than the ping pong ball so they come out first). Not to forget the future ant problem it would create and the waste of beer.

Ken

Ken

You're also hired, but not as an engineer. You're clearly middle management.

OTOH beer applied directly would kill any slugs in the hole.