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

Tell me the Hindi name of a Vegetable which if we remove 1st word will become a precious Stone and by removing the last word it will become a sweet eatable.

Asked by Neha on 16 Apr 2025


A man dies of old age on his 25 birthday. How is this possible?

Asked by Neha on 13 Feb 2022

When a clock is observed, the hour hand is at a minute mark and the minutes hand is six minutes ahead of it.

When the clock is observed again after some time, the hour hand is precisely on a different minute mark and the minute hand is seven minutes ahead of it.

Can you calculate how much time has elapsed between the two observations?

Asked by Neha on 07 Jul 2021


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

Asked by Neha on 04 Feb 2026

A clock loses 10 minutes each hour. If the clock is set correctly at noon, what time is it when it reads 3 PM?

Asked by Neha on 26 Apr 2025

It has five wheels, though often think four, You cannot use it without that one more, You can put things in it, you can strap things on top, You can't find it in the market, but you can still go shop. What is it?

Asked by Neha on 17 May 2021


I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone and cities with no buildings. What am I?

Asked by Neha on 14 Mar 2025

A man is looking at a photograph of someone. His friend asks who it is. The man replies, “Brothers and sisters, I have none. But that man’s father is my father’s son.” Who was in the photograph?

Asked by Neha on 04 Jul 2025

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

Asked by Neha on 30 Apr 2024


We can be boring,Or interesting.
We can be long,Or short.
We can have pictures,Or just words.
Many love us,But many also hate us.
What are we?

Asked by Neha on 04 Mar 2023

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Jigsaw puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles soared in popularity during the great depression, as they provided a cheap, long-lasting, recyclable form of entertainment.