3965. How many tennis balls would it take to fill a commercial airplane?

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Description

Interviewer

Imagine you have to estimate the number of tennis balls required to fill a commercial airplane. Walk me through your thought process and how you would arrive at an approximation.

Skill Assessed
  • 1. Analytical Thinking : This requires breaking down a complex problem into manageable parts and thinking through them logically.

  • 2. Estimation : You need to estimate sizes and quantities, often with limited information.

  • 3. Problem-solving : This question assesses your ability to approach unusual problems and find creative solutions.

  • 4. Communication : Clearly communicating your thought process is as important as finding a solution.

Purpose
  • 1. Creative Thinking : This evaluates how you can think creatively to solve an unconventional problem.

  • 2. Reasoning Ability : It assesses your capacity to use reason and logic, rather than technical knowledge, in problem-solving.

  • 3. Methodical Approach : It examines whether you can organize your thoughts and lay out a structured approach to tackling the problem.

  • 4. Handling Ambiguity : This may reveal how you deal with incomplete or ambiguous information and still make a decision.


Hints
  • 1. Consider the volume of a typical tennis ball : Calculating the volume of a single tennis ball can be a starting point for your estimation.

  • 2. Think about the size of a commercial airplane : Estimate the dimensions or capacity of an average commercial airplane to determine the total volume you need to fill.

  • 3. Account for packing efficiency : Factor in how tennis balls might fit together when stacked, considering there will be space between them.

Tags
Topics: 
Problem Solving
Communication
Roles: 
Business Analyst
Companies: 
McKinsey & Company
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