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GAP is a computer software programing language used in mathematics. It was developed in the early 1980s at the University of Cambridge by Robin Chapman and John Cannon. GAP is free and open-source software, and it is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is used by mathematicians around the world to study a wide variety of problems in algebra, geometry, and number theory.

Ask the right questions secure the right GAP talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General GAP app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in GAP application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

How would you install GAP on a Linux system?

You can install GAP on a Linux system by downloading the source code from the official GAP website, extracting the archive, and then compiling the source code using the 'configure' and 'make' commands.

What are the basic data types in GAP?

The basic data types in GAP include integers, rationals, cyclotomics, booleans, lists, records, and functions.

How would you create a list in GAP?

You can create a list in GAP using square brackets. For example, '[1, 2, 3]' creates a list of integers.

What is the purpose of the 'Size' function in GAP?

The 'Size' function in GAP is used to determine the size of a group, list, or other collection of elements.

How would you define a function in GAP?

In GAP, you can define a function using the 'function' keyword, followed by a list of parameters in parentheses, and then the function body enclosed in 'end'.

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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate possess strong problem-solving skills?

Has the candidate demonstrated a good understanding of GAP language and its applications?

Is the candidate able to communicate effectively?

Does the candidate show a willingness to learn and adapt?

Next 20 minutes

Specific GAP development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

What are the key features of GAP as a computational algebra system?

Key features of GAP include its ability to perform computations in algebraic structures, its extensive library of algebraic algorithms, and its support for programming and scripting.

Describe the difference between a list and a set in GAP.

In GAP, a list is an ordered collection of elements, while a set is an unordered collection of unique elements. Lists can contain duplicate elements and their order matters, while in sets, order does not matter and duplicates are not allowed.

How would you use GAP to compute the order of a permutation group?

You can compute the order of a permutation group in GAP using the 'Size' function. For example, 'Size(Group((1,2,3), (4,5)))' would return the order of the permutation group generated by the permutations (1,2,3) and (4,5).

What is the role of the 'IsElement' function in GAP?

The 'IsElement' function in GAP is used to determine whether a given object is an element of a specified collection, such as a group or a list.

How would you use GAP to solve a system of linear equations?

You can use the 'Solution' function in GAP to solve a system of linear equations. The function takes two arguments: a matrix representing the coefficients of the equations, and a list representing the right-hand side of the equations.

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At this point, a skilled GAP engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in GAP programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with GAP.

What does the following GAP code do?
gap> List([1..10], x -> x^2);
This code generates a list of squares of the numbers from 1 to 10.
What will be the output of the following GAP code?
gap> Size(SymmetricGroup(4));
This code returns the size of the symmetric group of order 4, which is 24.
What does the following GAP code do?
gap> List([1..10], IsPrime);
This code checks if each number from 1 to 10 is a prime number and returns a list of boolean values.
What does the following GAP code do?
gap> ParallelIterator([1..10], x -> x^2);
This code creates a parallel iterator that computes the squares of the numbers from 1 to 10 in parallel.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for GAP Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle GAP application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

Describe the difference between the 'IsSubset' and 'IsSubgroup' functions in GAP.

'IsSubset' checks if a collection of elements is a subset of another collection, while 'IsSubgroup' checks if a group is a subgroup of another group. The difference lies in the structure being considered: 'IsSubset' works with any collections, while 'IsSubgroup' specifically works with group structures.

How would you use GAP to compute the centralizer of an element in a group?

You can use the 'Centralizer' function in GAP to compute the centralizer of an element in a group. The function takes two arguments: the group and the element, and it returns the set of all elements in the group that commute with the given element.

What are the main steps to write and run a GAP script?

To write and run a GAP script, you first create a text file with the '.g' extension, write your GAP code in this file, and then run the script using the 'gap' command followed by the name of the script file.

GAP application related

Product Perfect's GAP development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your GAP engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in GAP projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

GAP Consultive assessments

GAP Application Conversion Assessment GAP Application Integration Assessment GAP Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom GAP development projects

Custom GAP App Conversion GAP Custom App Development Process App UI Design for GAP Facelifts

Hiring guide for GAP Engineers

GAP Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the GAP engineer at this point.

GAP Consultive assessments

Custom GAP development projects