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

Use the digits from 1 up to 9 and make 100.

Follow the rules.
=> Each digit should be used only once.
=> You can only use addition.
=> For making a number, two single digits can be combined (for example, 4 and 2 can be combined to form 42 or 24)
=> A fraction can also be made by combining the two single digits (for example, 4 and 2 can be combined to form 4/2 or 2/4)

Question: how can we do this?

Asked by Neha on 13 Jun 2023


You have two rectangular wires.

Both of them have property that when you light the fire from one end , it will take 60 minutes to get completely burn.

However, they do not burn at consistent speed (i.e it might be possible 1st 20% burn in 50 minutes and 80% can burn in 10 minutes).

So how could you measure 45 minutes ?

Asked by Neha on 21 Feb 2021

There was a kingdom in which the king had no heir to take over his thrown. Even the queen was dead and he himself was on the verge of dying. He thought about it and then summoned all of the teenagers. He gave one seed each to all of them and asked them to grow the plant. He announced that the one with the most beautiful plant will become the king/queen of the empire after the death of the king.

After a month, all of them were called. The king looked at all of the plants but announced the girl with an empty pot as the queen of the empire. Why?

Asked by Neha on 24 Sep 2024


Count the Triangle in the figure given below:

Can You Count

Asked by Neha on 04 Jul 2024

During which month do people sleep the least?

Asked by Neha on 13 Apr 2022

There is a river to cross using a river raft and there are eight people (father, mother, policeman, thief, 2 daughters and 2 sons). No one knows to operate the raft except the adults and also excluding the thief. Only two people can go in the raft at a time. The raft should keep coming back and forth in order to pick and drop the people.
Rules to be followed:
Father: the father cannot stay in the raft or outside the raft without the presence of the mother.
Mother: the mother cannot stay in the raft or outside the rat without the presence of the father.
Thief: the thief is not allowed to stay with any of the family members unless there is a policeman.
Policeman: the policeman can travel with anyone.
2 sons and 2 daughters: they are not allowed to travel in the raft without the presence of an adult. They cannot either travel in the presence of only thieves without the policeman. The sons cannot be with their mothers without their father's supervision. The daughters are not allowed to be there with their fathers without the supervision of their mothers. But the daughters and the sons can be left unsupervised (as long as the other rules are applied).
What is the sequence that the people should follow in order to cross the river through the raft keeping in mind all the rules?
The rules are applicable not only in the raft but also outside the raft.

Asked by Neha on 14 Aug 2023


Once upon a time, there was a bus conductor who was extremely rude to all the passengers. On a certain day, a young and charming lady tried boarding the bus. But he did not stop the bus. As a result, the girl came under the bus and was killed. The agitated passengers took the conductor to the police station. The police took him to the court for trial. In the court, the judge gave him death sentence.

He is then taken to the electrocution chamber. In that room, there is a chair in the center of the room and a banana peel lies just behind the chair. The conductor is strapped to that chair and is being exposed to a high voltage current. But to everyone�s surprise, he is able to survive through the current that is enough to kill two people at once. The judge decides that it is a miracle and sets the conductor free.

The conductor then returns back to his profession. After a few months, a middle aged lady tries to board the bus. The conductor does not stop the bus and as a result the lady gets run over by the bus which kills her on the spot. The agitated passengers take him to the police. The police takes him to the court for the trial. In the court, the judge decides for capital punishment for the conductor.

The conductor is taken to the electrocution chamber again. In that chamber, there is a chair in the middle of the room and a banana peel lies behind the chair. He is strapped to the chair and exposed to a high voltage. To everyone�s surprise, he survives again. Thus, the judge sets him free.

The conductor returns back to his profession. After a few months. An old lady tries to board the bus. The bus conductor after remembering his previous actions, stops the bus. But unfortunately, the old lady slips while climbing up the bus and dies due to his injuries. The passengers take him to the police again. The police takes him back to the court. Though the judge knows that he is not guilty, he sentences him to death knowing his previous record.

The conductor is taken to the electrocution chamber again. He is strapped to the chair in the center of the room behind which, there is a banana peel. He is exposed to the current and this time he is killed instantly.

Why did he die this time and not the previous times?

Long Funny Riddle

Asked by Neha on 16 Mar 2023

What 5-letter word typed in all capital letters can be read the same upside down?

Asked by Neha on 20 Oct 2025

I can write cow in 13 letters.

Can You?

Asked by Neha on 03 Oct 2024


Why is the Hole below a Lock?

Hole in Lock

Asked by Neha on 23 Jul 2023

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Out of the Box

The phrase “thinking outside the box” was popularised from the solution to a topographical puzzle involving 9 dots in a box shape.