Fastenal Interview Questions and Answers

Cake cutting puzzle and bottle weighing puzzle with specific constraints.

• For the cake cutting puzzle, you can achieve 8 slices with 3 cuts by cutting the cake into quarters first, then stacking the quarters and cutting them in half.

• For the bottle weighing puzzle, divide the bottles into 3 groups of 3, weigh 2 groups against each other. If they balance, the heavy bottle is in the third group. If not, take the heavier group and weigh 2 bottles from it, identifying the heavy bot...read more

Different methods can be used to solve the same problem depending on the context and available resources.

• Brainstorming and ideation sessions

• Trial and error

• Research and analysis

• Collaboration and teamwork

• Using established frameworks and methodologies

• Leveraging technology and automation

• Iterative approach to problem-solving

SQL Joins are used to combine data from two or more tables based on a related column.

• Joins are used to retrieve data from multiple tables in a single query

• Types of joins include inner join, left join, right join, and full outer join

• Join conditions are specified using the ON keyword and a comparison operator

• Joins can be used to combine data from tables with a one-to-many or many-to-many relationship

To find errors in SQL queries, check for syntax errors, missing or incorrect table/column names, and incorrect data types.

• Check for syntax errors using a SQL editor or IDE.

• Verify table and column names are correct and exist in the database.

• Ensure data types match between tables and queries.

• Use error messages and logs to identify specific issues.

• Test queries with sample data to catch errors before running on production data.

Count the number of islands in a 2D grid of '1's and '0's.

• Iterate through the grid and for each '1' encountered, perform a depth-first search to mark all connected '1's as visited.

• Increment the count of islands for each new island encountered.

• Ensure to handle edge cases like out of bounds indices and already visited cells.