It’s critical to find candidates with math skills when recruiting for finance, technology, and engineering roles.
The math skills of employees can make or break a business, so when you’re hiring skilled people, you should know how to accurately test their math skills.
But have you heard of skills tests? Do you know the right math interview questions to use in your hiring process?
Our list of math skills interview questions below can help you choose your own questions. You’ll also want to stick around for our advice on using skills assessments to hire skilled professionals.
Geometry, the branch of mathematics that explores the properties of space, shape, size, and relative position of figures, is a fundamental concept that can appear in tech interviews. While advanced geometry may not be directly tested, a solid understanding of 2D geometry principles can be crucial for solving various algorithm and data structure problems.
This detailed guide covers all the important parts of geometry for coding interviews, giving you the skills and knowledge to confidently answer questions about geometry.
Essential Geometry Concepts for Coding Interviews
1. Distance Between Two Points
- Calculating the distance between two points is a fundamental skill in geometry.
- The formula for calculating the distance between two points, (x1, y1) and (x2, y2), is:
distance = sqrt((x2 - x1)^2 + (y2 - y1)^2)
- This formula is commonly used in various coding problems, such as finding the closest point to a given point or determining if two points are within a specific distance of each other.
2 Overlapping Circles
- Determining whether two circles overlap is another important concept in geometry.
- Two circles overlap if the distance between their centers is less than the sum of their radii.
- This concept can be applied to problems involving collision detection, finding the area of intersection between two circles, and more.
3. Overlapping Rectangles:
- Similar to circles, understanding overlapping rectangles is crucial for solving certain coding problems.
- Two rectangles overlap if their corresponding sides intersect.
- This concept is used in problems related to finding the area of intersection between two rectangles, determining if a point lies inside a rectangle, and more.
4. Corner Cases
- When dealing with geometry problems, it’s essential to consider corner cases, such as zero values or degenerate shapes.
- Failing to account for these cases can lead to incorrect solutions.
5. Techniques for Solving Geometry Problems:
- Various techniques can be employed to solve geometry problems effectively.
- These techniques include:
- Visualizing the problem: Drawing diagrams or sketches can help visualize the problem and identify potential solutions.
- Breaking down the problem: Decomposing the problem into smaller, more manageable subproblems can make it easier to solve.
- Applying relevant formulas: Using appropriate formulas, such as the distance formula or the area formula for rectangles, can help calculate the necessary values.
- Checking for corner cases: Ensuring that your solution accounts for all possible scenarios, including corner cases, is crucial for accuracy.
6. Sample Geometry Interview Questions:
- To test your understanding of geometry concepts, here are a few sample interview questions:
- Given a plane with multiple rectangles, find the number of rectangles that intersect.
- Which data structure would you use to efficiently query the k-nearest points of a set on a 2D plane?
- Given a set of points, find the k points that are closest to the origin.
- How would you triangulate a polygon?
7. Essential Geometry Questions for Practice:
- To solidify your understanding of geometry, practicing essential questions is crucial.
- Here are some essential questions to focus on:
- Rectangle Overlap
- K Closest Points to Origin
- Rectangle Area
8 Recommended Practice Questions
- Once you’ve mastered the essential questions, you can challenge yourself with more complex practice questions.
- Here are some recommended questions to test your skills:
- Rectangle Overlap
- K Closest Points to Origin
- Rectangle Area
9. Recommended Courses for Geometry Interview Preparation:
- If you’re looking for additional resources to enhance your geometry skills, consider these courses:
- AlgoMonster: This platform offers a data-driven approach to learning key question patterns and revises basic data structures and algorithms.
- Grokking the Coding Interview: Patterns for Coding Questions: This course expands on recommended practice questions and teaches you how to approach problems from a question pattern perspective.
- Master the Coding Interview: Data Structures + Algorithms: This Udemy bestseller provides comprehensive interview preparation, covering coding, resume, non-technical interviews, and negotiations.
By thoroughly understanding the essential geometry concepts, practicing relevant questions, and leveraging recommended resources, you can confidently approach geometry-related questions in your next tech interview. Remember, a strong foundation in geometry can significantly enhance your problem-solving abilities and increase your chances of success.
Hire a skilled professional with comprehensive math skills interview questions
You can find the best professional with the math skills you need by using math skills interview questions and tests. You can start by choosing from our questions and tests in our test library.
TestGorilla is here to simplify your hiring process. Choose us to hire a professional, skilled employee for your enterprise. Get started for free today.
5 tips for using math skills interview questions
If you want to make the hiring process easier, use these five tips when you ask candidates about their math skills.
Mathematician Answers Geometry Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED
FAQ
What is an example of a geometric question?