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 Difficult Riddles

I am something people love or hate. I change peoples appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of them self I will go up even higher. To some people I will fool them. To others I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me but I will show. No matter how hard people try I will Never go down. What am I?

Asked by Neha on 17 May 2021


It is a six-letter word.
The first four letters are me.
The second and last letters are the same.
The fourth second and last letter is payment.

Who is it?

Asked by Neha on 07 Feb 2024

There is something which you can be arrested for attempting but not for successfully completing.

Asked by Neha on 30 Apr 2024


Jenifer and Jesica are having a conversation.

Jenifer: I am definitely not over 30.
Jesica: I am 28 and you are surely 5 years older to me at least.
Jenifer: No, you are at least 29.

You are told that both of them are lying throughout in the conversation. Can you find their respective ages?

Asked by Neha on 18 Jul 2021

What jumps when it walks and sits when it stands?

Asked by Neha on 05 Jan 2026

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

Asked by Neha on 29 Dec 2025


Its something that each of us devours,
Not just us but birds, beats, trees, and flowers,
Frets iron and nibbles steel,
Toil hard stones to meal,
Exterminates king, collapse town,
And blows the mountains down.

Asked by Neha on 20 Mar 2023

A man looks at a painting in a museum and says, “Brothers and sisters I have none, but that man’s father is my father’s son.” Who is in the painting?

Asked by Neha on 12 Mar 2025

I have branches, but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I?

Asked by Neha on 18 May 2022


Something Extraordinary happened on May 6th 19778 at 12:34am what was that?

Asked by Neha on 04 Feb 2026

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence has crushed all human records in the puzzle game “2048,” achieving a high score of 839,732 and beating the game in only 973 moves without using any undo.