[ChuckMcM]

   > I have no idea why people like to use HS math problems
   > for interviews.

Did you go through Google's hiring class? I did. There is a lot going on in an interview, and much of it has to do with how people respond to stressful situations. That is especially true of people interviewing at a place like Google because they often feel like it is their "dream job" and if they blow it they will end up homeless or something.

The important thing about interview success is getting an understanding of three things, can the person listen, can they reason under stress, and can they get stuff done. The candidates always over think the questions, it is the nature of things. Locking someone up mentally because you've over stressed them a question on tensor physics really doesn't help determine if they would be a good candidate or not. If you start with the HS math and they blow through it, you can work your way up to multi-variable calculus :-)