Prisoner to be freed

The warden meets with 23 new prisoners when they arrive. He tells them, "You may meet today and plan a strategy. But after today, you will be in isolated cells and will have no communication with one another.

"In the prison is a switch room, which contains two light switches labeled 1 and 2, each of which can be in either up or the down position. I am not telling you their present positions. The switches are not connected to anything.

"After today, from time to time whenever I feel so inclined, I will select one prisoner at random and escort him to the switch room. This prisoner will select one of the two switches and reverse its position. He must flip one switch when he visits the switch room, and may only flip one of the switches. Then he'll be led back to his cell.

"No one else will be allowed to alter the switches until I lead the next prisoner into the switch room. I'm going to choose prisoners at random. I may choose the same guy three times in a row, or I may jump around and come back. I will not touch the switches, if I wanted you dead you would already be dead.

"Given enough time, everyone will eventually visit the switch room the same number of times as everyone else. At any time, anyone may declare to me, 'We have all visited the switch room.'

"If it is true, then you will all be set free. If it is false, and somebody has not yet visited the switch room, you will all die horribly. You will be carefully monitored, and any attempt to break any of these rules will result in instant death to all of you"

What is the strategy they come up with so that they can be free?




Similar Riddles

A seven-year-old kid challenged his classmates that he can make the number one disappear by adding something to it.

How can he do that?

Asked by Neha on 04 Apr 2024


I have a hole in my back and legs I lack.
I live where I can’t breathe and I eat without teeth.
What am I?

Asked by Neha on 02 Nov 2025

On a bus, there is a 26-year-old pregnant lady.
A 30-year-old policeman.
A 52-year-old random woman.
And the 65-year-old driver.

Who is the youngest?

Asked by Neha on 12 Feb 2023


At a party, there are five people and a whole round cake lying at the centre of the table. Only four people will make a cut and take their piece and the last one will get the remaining piece on the table. How can they make sure that everyone gets a 1/5th of the piece?

Asked by Neha on 20 Sep 2024

Sherlock breaks into a crime scene. The victim is the owner who is slumped dead on a chair and have a bullet hole in his head. A gun lies on the floor and a cassette recorder is found on the table. On pressing the play button, Sherlock hears the message 'I have committed sins in my life and now I offer my soul to the great Lord' and followed a gunshot Sherlock smiles and informed the police that's its a murder.

Why did he think so?

Murder Mystery with Sherlock Riddle

Asked by Neha on 01 May 2021

Mr Red Lives in the red house.
Mr Green Lives in the greenhouse.
Mr Yellow Lives in the yellow house.

Who lives in the Whitehouse?

Asked by Neha on 26 Apr 2024


A train full of passengers goes through a tunnel. When the train comes out from the other end, there is no single person on the train.

How did it happen?

Asked by Neha on 26 Dec 2025

Count the number of lines in the image below ?

Riddles From Picture

Asked by Neha on 03 Feb 2021

Rectify the following equality 101 - 102 = 1 by moving just one digit.

Mathematical Signs Magic

Asked by Neha on 08 Mar 2021


Out of three Friends John, Jacob and Jonny one of them is a king, one is a bureaucrat, and one is a Spy.

The king always tells the truth, the bureaucrat always lies, and the Spy can either lie or tell the truth.

John says: Jonny is a bureaucrat
Jacob says: John is a king
Jonny says: I am a Spy

Tell me, Who is the king, who is the bureaucrat, and who is the Spy?

Asked by Neha on 03 Feb 2024

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Crossword

The day before the 1996 U.S. presidential election, the NYT Crossword contained the clue “Lead story in tomorrow’s newspaper,” the puzzle was built so that both electoral outcomes were correct answers, requiring 7 other clues to have dual responses.