The Google Interview Question Everyone Gets Wrong

2025-02-18

[public] 2.26M views, 170K likes, dislikes audio only

Are you smart enough to solve this Google interview question? Use code veritasium at https://incogni.com/veritasium to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan.

A massive thank you to Dan Goldman, Jeff Aguilar, Daniel Soto and Georgia Tech’s Complex Rheology And Biomechanics Lab

We’re incredibly grateful to Carl Zimmer, Gayle McDowell, and Geoffrey West

CORRECTION: Dan Goldman is a Professor of Physics not Biomechanics.

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0:00 Hard Google Interview Question

2:34 How do Geckos stick to walls?

5:58 Do physicists know the answer?

7:01 The Square-Cube Law

9:10 Tiny Superheroes

10:23 Simulating the problem

13:36 Adding Air Resistance

15:14 The End?

16:16 What would happen if you were shrunk?

17:39 What interviewers actually look for

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Try Snatoms! A molecular modelling kit I invented where the atoms snap together.

https://ve42.co/SnatomsV

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References:

William Poundstone (Jan 2012). Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?. - https://ve42.co/smartenough

Giovanni Alfonso Borelli. Translated by Paul Maquet (1989). On the Movement of Animals. - https://ve42.co/borellianimals

In Head-Hunting, Big Data May Not Be Such a Big Deal. (Jun 2013) via New York Times - https://ve42.co/headhuntbigdata

Drag Forces. via Lumen Learning - https://ve42.co/dragforces

R. McN. Alexander (Feb 1995). Leg design and jumping technique for humans, other vertebrates and insects. The Royal Society Publishing - https://ve42.co/legdesignjump

Sharon B. Emerson (Sep 1978). Allometry and Jumping in Frogs: Helping the Twain to Meet. JSTOR - https://ve42.co/allometryfrogs

Jay J. Meyers, Anthony Herrel & James Birch (Jan 2002). Scaling of Morphology, Bite Force and Feeding Kinematics in an Iguanian and a Scleroglossan Lizard. Anthony Herrel - https://ve42.co/scalinglizard

Kirby TJ, McBride JM, Haines TL, Dayne AM. (Aug 2011). Relative Net Vertical Impulse Determines Jumping Performance. Journal of Applied Biomechanics - https://ve42.co/jumpperformance

Rasmussen Mette H. et al (Jul 2022). Evidence that gecko setae are coated with an ordered nanometre-thin lipid film. The Royal Society Publishing - https://ve42.co/geckosetae

Body Orientation During a Skydive. via Libre Texts Physics - https://ve42.co/skydivephysics

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Images & Video:

Here’s how many Google interviews it takes to hire a Googler. (Apr 2019) via CNBC Make It - https://ve42.co/googleinterviews

Google received 3.3 million job applications in 2019. (Jan 2020) via Axios - https://ve42.co/googleapplications

Here’s why you only have a 0.2% chance of getting hired at Google. (Oct 2014) via Quartz - https://ve42.co/hiredgoogle

Dear Reddit, my friend was asked this RIDICULOUS question in a job interview, what’s the best possible answer?. (2011) via Reddit - https://ve42.co/redditblender

Mark Rober. (May 2020) Backyard Squirrel Maze 1.0- Ninja Warrior Course /youtube/video/hFZFjoX2cGg

Cambridge University. (Feb 2010) Cambridge Ideas - Sticky Feet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd5upt3IrWM

IV C. (Oct 2023)Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) Jack Arnold. The spider scene. El increíble hombre menguante. Araña https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJiJsbBBHpE&t=7s

Russ Amy. (Apr 2018) Honey I Shrunk the Kids 1989 1080p BluRay X264 AMIABLE mkv https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byxGZ8cD7rk

R Sisters Gaming. (Feb 2022) It Takes Two - Destroyed by the Blender https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqrPufq2jP8

ClipsyBox. (May 2017) Hulk vs. Ant-Man - Coca-Cola: Coke Mini https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMkGwCw7iv8

El Gato. (June 2021) Squirrel has 44" vertical jump straight up to bird feeder! jumping https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ethwLHw46JM

A-purpose . (Apr 2024). Who can jump bigger part #2 via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mJhf7wYNkYA

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Special thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Adam Foreman, Albert Wenger, Alex Porter, Alexander Tamas, Anton Ragin, Autodidactic Studios, Bertrand Serlet, Blake Byers, Bruce, Dave Kircher, David Johnston, David Tseng, Evgeny Skvortsov, Garrett Mueller, Gnare, gpoly, Greg Scopel, Juan Benet, Keith England, KeyWestr, Kyi, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Matthias Wrobel, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Orlando Bassotto, Paul Peijzel, qiaohui wei, Richard Sundvall, Sam Lutfi, Tj Steyn, TTST, Ubiquity Ventures, wolfee

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Directed by Henry van Dyck

Written by Henry van Dyck

Edited by Peter Nelson and Nick Lear

Assistant Edited by James Stuart

Animated by Fabio Albertelli, Andrew Neet, Jakub Misiek and Emma Wright

Filmed by Henry van Dyck and Lukas Guderjahn

Additional Research by Emilia Gyles and Geeta Thakur

Produced by Derek Muller, Henry van Dyck, Zoe Heron, Rob Beasley Spence and Tori Brittain

Thumbnail contributions by Ben Powell, Ren Hurley and Henry van Dyck

Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images and Storyblocks

Music from Epidemic Sound and Jonny Hyman