this is a question that a potential employer asked of me regarding a job in construction. I told him that I had plenty of experience and I would be the best guy for the job. Then that is when he asked me that simple but yet I still got blogged.
2006-09-27 06:35:05 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
He may have just wanted you to say that .33333333333333. Or he may have wanted you to say that it is close to 3/8, or close to 5/16.
Anyway, in construction work you don't need to be so exact that you'd have to use a tape measure marked in thirds of an inch. You would just use the existing markings to approximate one-third.
One third equals .33333333333333, so depending on how fine the markings on your tape measure, you use one of the following:
in eighths: 3/8 = .375 and 1/4 = .25, so .333333333333 is closer to 3/8 than to 1/4
in sixteenths: 5/16 = .3125 and 3/8 = .375, so .3333333333 is closer to 5/16 than to 3/8
in 32nds: 11/32 = .34375 and 5/16 = .3125, so .33333333333 is (slightly) closer to 11/32 than to 5/16
2006-09-27 07:10:34 · answer #1 · answered by actuator 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a trick question since tape measurements in feet and inches usually work in powers of two, IE 1/2. 1/4. 1/8. 1/16. 1/32 etc. None of these are divisible by three so such a tape measure would be useless. The answer would be that but with the addendum that you may have to use calipers or a micrometer that is graduated in thirds and, on the assumption that you got the job, you would expect appropriate tools to be made available should such measurements be needed.
2006-09-27 13:56:18 · answer #2 · answered by quatt47 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In 32nds of an inch... about 10 2/3 32nds.
A touch over 5 sixteenths?
About that much... (you can't see how far apart my fingers are)
Maybe he just was seeing if you could react to a nonspecific question. Sometimes potential employers will react poorly to a "correct" answer just to see how you will respond. Saying something like "if we're paying for it, 5/16; if the customer is paying 3/8." could be what he wanted.
Good luck figuring it out. Sometimes those "smart" interviewers aren't the ones for which you don't want to work.
2006-09-27 13:49:16 · answer #3 · answered by Steven A 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1 inch is 2.54 cms approximately
So 1/3 inch is 0.8466667 cms approximately
1/3 inch = 8.466667 millimeters
2006-09-27 13:45:33 · answer #4 · answered by Maddy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1/36th of a foot
2006-09-27 13:46:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
1/3in=2.54cm/3=.846 cm
=8.46mm
2006-09-27 14:11:29 · answer #6 · answered by openpsychy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋