A simple, silly riddle. (Read 3907 times)

suppusmac · « **on:** 6 Mar 2013, 18:09:56 »

Assume there is a room.
This room as no way of seeing in or out, but there is a door that can be opened. When the door is closed, theres no way of seeing into the room at all.
There are 3 light switches on the wall outside of the room. Again, outside of the room!
Inside of the room there is ONLY a light bulb, which one, and only one of the three switches turns it on.
Your job is to find out which one of these switches turns on the light bulb.

The rules are:
- You can alter/ flick on and off any of the light switches (or any combination) as much as you want BEFORE you go into the door.
- You can only go into the room once, you may not leave the door open, you can't punch through the door, nothing like that.
-There's nothing inside the room but a light bulb, and you cannot bring anything inside the room.
-You can't take apart the lightbulb. Don't be on of the crafty electricians!
-Again, There is ONLY a lightbulb in the room that turns on and off.

So, what is the guaranteed way to find out which switch turns on the light?

Bad pixel diagram:

0=switches X=Lightbulb l/- = Walls (That you cannot see through)

-0-0-0--Door-----
---------- -----
l l
l X l
l l
--------------------

86maxsmart · « **Reply #1 on:** 6 Mar 2013, 18:18:20 »

Doesn't matter. Since there is only "a" light and there is a "light switch" on the inside, just go in and switch it on.

Max

suppusmac · « **Reply #2 on:** 6 Mar 2013, 18:41:43 »

In my diagram it didn't show it well, but the switches are actually on the outside of the room, you cannot flick any of the light switches once you are inside.

86maxsmart · « **Reply #3 on:** 6 Mar 2013, 18:53:40 »

Then you need to update your rules:

"There is nothing inside the room but a light switch".

Max

86maxsmart · « **Reply #4 on:** 6 Mar 2013, 20:52:08 »

Ok, assuming light bulbs work in this make believe situation like they do in real life I know 3 things.

1. When the right switch is hit the bulb turns on. 2. When a light is on, it gets hot. 3. When it doesn't go on it stays room temperature or cool. Therefore, just like before, three equations and three unknowns. This riddle is solvable.

Based upon this, I don't think I need to go any further, as i understand what I need to do. I'll leave the sequencing procedure for the switches to another person to chime in on.

That's my two cents!

Max

suppusmac · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 Mar 2013, 01:32:57 »

Quote from: 86MaxSmart on 6 Mar 2013, 20:52:08

Ok, assuming light bulbs work in this make believe situation like they do in real life I know 3 things.

1. When the right switch is hit the bulb turns on. 2. When a light is on, it gets hot. 3. When it doesn't go on it stays room temperature or cool. Therefore, just like before, three equations and three unknowns. This riddle is solvable.

Based upon this, I don't think I need to go any further, as i understand what I need to do. I'll leave the sequencing procedure for the switches to another person to chime in on.

That's my two cents!

Max

If you've never seen the riddle, good job!
If you have, good job for not spoiling it for someone else, but giving a hint!

Techsam · « **Reply #6 on:** 7 Mar 2013, 02:26:00 »

Cant you just flick on each of the switches? One is bound to work

jwagg · « **Reply #7 on:** 7 Mar 2013, 02:42:08 »

Quote from: Samson4258 on 7 Mar 2013, 02:26:00

Cant you just flick on each of the switches? One is bound to work

Could the lightbulb be on already? Then if you flick all the switches you might turn it off or on.

Techsam · « **Reply #8 on:** 7 Mar 2013, 03:50:05 »

Quote from: jwagg on 7 Mar 2013, 02:42:08

Quote from: Samson4258 on 7 Mar 2013, 02:26:00
Cant you just flick on each of the switches? One is bound to work
Could the lightbulb be on already? Then if you flick all the switches you might turn it off or on.

Normally light switches show an on and off setting.

Orpheus_only · « **Reply #9 on:** 7 Mar 2013, 04:23:30 »

Quote from: suppusmac on 7 Mar 2013, 01:32:57

Quote from: 86MaxSmart on 6 Mar 2013, 20:52:08
Ok, assuming light bulbs work in this make believe situation like they do in real life I know 3 things.

1. When the right switch is hit the bulb turns on. 2. When a light is on, it gets hot. 3. When it doesn't go on it stays room temperature or cool. Therefore, just like before, three equations and three unknowns. This riddle is solvable.

Based upon this, I don't think I need to go any further, as i understand what I need to do. I'll leave the sequencing procedure for the switches to another person to chime in on.

That's my two cents!

Max
If you've never seen the riddle, good job!
If you have, good job for not spoiling it for someone else, but giving a hint!

Aaaa!!! (lightbulb emoticon here; no pun intended) I see it now. When a light is on, it gets hot over time. Thanks Max! I'm inclined to leave it at that, hehe.

My initial ideas were:
1) impossibru!!
2) have someone or something turn a certain switch on after you get inside the room
3) do /sethome inside the room, starve and re-spawn

jwagg · « **Reply #10 on:** 7 Mar 2013, 20:18:05 »

I (might) have a solution! When you have a light switch on for awhile, the switch will get hot just like the light. So if you are outside the room, feel the switches and see if they are warm. If one is warm,the light is on. If none are warm, the light isn't on. Flip all the switches the other way and the light has to come on.

PS:Not all light switches show on/off settings.

DigitalDoge · « **Reply #11 on:** 7 Mar 2013, 21:16:21 »

You look under the door thought the crack between the floor and the door and flip the switches

suppusmac · « **Reply #12 on:** 8 Mar 2013, 01:47:21 »

No one has correctly answered the riddle yet. But I feel like not everyone understand exactly what the question is.

You need to flick the switches when you're outside of the room, so you can do that before or after you enter (or before and after), but you can only enter the room once.
So a little hint, based on what you infer when you go in the room will help you find your ultimate solution.
Finally your job is to create a method that allows you to always determine which light switch powers on the lightbulb.
Your job is not to just guess which one powers it on, as that will only work 1/3 of the time.
Hopefully that will help anyone who was confused.

Madhttr · « **Reply #13 on:** 8 Mar 2013, 18:06:48 »

Just don't close the door when you go in and out of the room? lol

MJfan725 · « **Reply #14 on:** 8 Mar 2013, 21:24:41 »

Set switch #1 to the on position and switches #2 and #3 to the off position.
Wait ten minutes.
Turn switch #1 off and switch #2 on.
Enter the room and examine the bulb. If the bulb is on, then it’s controlled by switch #2. If the bulb is off and warm or hot, then it’s controlled by switch #1 (because it was recently left on for ten minutes which caused it heat up). If the bulb is off and room temperature, then, by process of elimination, it must be controlled by switch #3.

Or you could listen to the connection fizzle

suppusmac · « **Reply #15 on:** 8 Mar 2013, 22:56:03 »

Quote from: MJfan725 on 8 Mar 2013, 21:24:41

Set switch #1 to the on position and switches #2 and #3 to the off position.
Wait ten minutes.
Turn switch #1 off and switch #2 on.
Enter the room and examine the bulb. If the bulb is on, then it’s controlled by switch #2. If the bulb is off and warm or hot, then it’s controlled by switch #1 (because it was recently left on for ten minutes which caused it heat up). If the bulb is off and room temperature, then, by process of elimination, it must be controlled by switch #3.

Or you could listen to the connection fizzle

Correct!

Quote from: AQW_Assassian01 on 8 Mar 2013, 18:06:48

Just don't close the door when you go in and out of the room? lol

I said you cannot leave the door open *Mad face*.

Madhttr · « **Reply #16 on:** 9 Mar 2013, 00:11:19 »

Quote from: AQW_Assassian01 on 8 Mar 2013, 18:06:48

Just don't close the door when you go in and out of the room? lol

I said you cannot leave the door open *Mad face*.
[/quote]

er...I knew that..totally

craftymatt13 · « **Reply #17 on:** 10 Mar 2013, 06:55:29 »

Warm switches, connectins that fizzle...can we say bad wiring?

suppusmac · « **Reply #18 on:** 10 Mar 2013, 16:14:09 »

Quote from: craftymatt13 on 10 Mar 2013, 06:55:29

Warm switches, connectins that fizzle...can we say bad wiring?

The real answer involves the lightbulb getting hotter. So, I am assuming the wiring is fine.

MJfan725 · « **Reply #19 on:** 11 Mar 2013, 20:25:23 »

whoohoo

A simple, silly riddle. (Read 3907 times)

86maxsmart

86maxsmart

86maxsmart