Phone Interview - Top tier consulting firm

Say you were talking to an alien (someone/something with NO KNOWLEDGE). (This isn't an important part of the question, he just remember it pissed him off that they included it cuz he was thrown off by this detail.

You were tasked to explain to this alien that there is a light bulb (brightens room by emitting light) and also a machine that "sucks dark" (brightens room by "inhaling" darkness)...

How would you explain the difference?

Give it a shot...I know the answer but you'll be disappointed by it...still he got this for Big 4 phone interview.

wow. what a bunch of assholes

I really have no idea.. but I'll venture a guess.

Is this "alien" as in extra terrestrial? If so, I'd just hand him an air conditioner or fridge. Naturally, he/it would feel the change in temperature. Upon taking it apart (I'm assuming he's smart enough, given his presence here), he'd realize that it was heat being extracted rather than cold being introduced. I would explain it being analogous to the light-in/dark-out situatoin.

This satisfies the constraint of the question, but probably breaches the spirit of it. I hope the real answer is a lot more elegant.

Isn't the question itself flawed? Unless I'm getting my physics or laws of the Universe totally wrong: sucking darkness, without the introduction of any light source whatsoever (i.e. energy source capable of emitting light), cannot on its own be assumed to result in light can it?

Unless of course, the question assumes that, we exist in a world where laws of the universe and light only apply partially and selectively. Just wondering. Please point out if i'm completely wrong.

To Warmpi: VERY interesting, and I imagine you would get credit for your thinking.

To hayabusa: these questions shouldn't be addressed as such...they'd just be like, just assume the circumstances are special...that is, you may be right but they wanna hear you think about what the question asks, not it's validity as a question..

THE ANSWER:

The point of the question is to have you struggle with it (warmpi) would likely be given credit for his thinking...but the answer is:

IT DOESN'T MATTER...in other words, the point is, are you capable of coming to the conclusion that 2 "different things" are EFFECTIVELY the same thing.

My buddy was furious.

Thats funny man, i'd be furious too!

Thanks for the tip Will1220. Will bear in mind next time someone gives me a "who thinks this shit up?!" question

ughh.. what a question.

honestly, that's a pretty dick move.