The "pouring problems" you most commonly run into provide two containers of different sizes and ask you to generate a third accurate measurement only using those two containers. Usually you are told you have two buckets, or some other type of containers but it is the same problem if you are given something like hour glass timers of two different sizes and asked to measure a third new size.
Here is an example: The timer is broken on the office microwave. You know that you need to put the burrito in for exactly 3 minutes, and no more and no less or it is either too cold or squirts cheese. After searching the kitchen you found a seven-minute and a four-minute hourglass timer. How can you accurately measure 3 minutes using just those timers?
Here is another example: You find yourself in a really bad action movie with Bruce Willis. The bad guys are threatening to blow up New York unless you can accurately measure 1 gallon of water using one a 5-gallon container and a 3-gallon container. How do you save NY, and for bonus points - why did they make such a bad sequel movie to Die Hard!?!!
Click here for the answer.