Google interviews are famous for their unconventional questions that test intelligence. One riddle that almost everyone answers incorrectly is: You have shrunk to the size of a coin and fallen into a running blender. What do you do within 60 seconds?

There are many questions at Google interviews that challenge candidates, but one of the most puzzling is undoubtedly the blender puzzle. While the answer to the question may seem simple, according to scientists, it involves much more complexity than one might think. Candidates are asked to imagine themselves being shrunk to the size of a coin and dropped into a long blender. The question is: What should you do to escape before the blender opens in 60 seconds? Although it sounds straightforward, the solution to this peculiar problem requires unraveling some serious scientific mysteries.

The first solution that comes to mind is to leap out of the blender. However, biomechanics experts suggest that this theory might not be as valid as we think. According to Professor Gregory Sutton from Lincoln University, the jumping ability of a creature is directly related to the energy its muscles produce. While it is true that a shrunken human’s muscles would be stronger relative to their weight, there is also the factor of time. The legs of a miniature human have very little time to complete a jumping motion. The faster muscles contract, the less power they generate. Hence, reaching the height necessary to get to the blender’s edge becomes impossible.

WHAT IS THE WAY OUT OF THE BLENDER?
The best answer given to the interview question may be to take inspiration from insects. The jumping mechanism of insects is not directly related to the strength of their muscles. Instead, they can jump much higher by accumulating energy through special spring-like structures in their bodies. Grasshoppers stretch tendons in their legs like a spring to store energy and then release it suddenly.

Trap-jaw ants can catapult themselves into the air using their jaws as a mechanical spring. Bushbabies allocate 30-40% of their body mass to leg muscles, allowing them to jump up to 12 times their body length.

The best way to escape from a blender is to use the same principle. By employing a spring mechanism or a flexible material, you should launch yourself. If you can use a rubber band or another flexible object, you can accumulate energy slowly and release it all at once. This technique helps unleash much more power than your muscles alone can generate.

Dr. Maarten Bobbert from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam mentions that using a spring mechanism can enable a human the size of a coin to jump out of a blender, surpassing the natural limits of human muscles. Professor Jim Usherwood explains this principle using the analogy of a bow and arrow: “If you want to move something quickly, you need to give it a lot of energy. But when you shrink, your muscle’s movement time decreases, and you cannot transfer enough energy. To launch yourself, you must stretch a spring and collect energy while waiting, then release it all at once.”

CAN IT REALLY BE SOLVED?
If you ever encounter this question in a Google interview, remember the following when answering: While jumping may be the first solution that comes to mind, it is not sufficient due to physical limitations. When you shrink, your muscle strength increases, but your movement time decreases, making it difficult to perform an effective jump. By mimicking the jumping mechanism of insects and using a spring or elastic band to accumulate energy, you can launch yourself. In conclusion, the right answer to solving Google’s blender puzzle is to launch yourself out of the blender using a spring mechanism inspired by insects. If you ever do shrink and fall into a blender one day, hopefully, you will have a small rubber band with you!