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

Place a mathematical symbol between the numerals 5 and 9 in such a way that the resulting number is greater than 5 but smaller than 9.

Asked by Neha on 30 Jul 2021


There is a certain crime, that if it is attempted, is punishable, but if it is committed, is not punishable. What is the crime?

Asked by Neha on 19 Jun 2026

There is a box. The area of its top is 240 square units, the area of the front is 300 square units and the area of the end is 180 square units.

Can you calculate the dimensions of this box with the given data?

Asked by Neha on 19 Apr 2025


What can go up a chimney down, but can't go down a chimney up?

Asked by Neha on 15 Sep 2026

Solve this riddle by finding the odd one out from the rest.

Odd One Out in the Shapes Riddle

Asked by Neha on 18 Apr 2021

I have some blue and red sock in my drawer. I have a total of 4 socks. I pick 2 socks and the chance that I get a pair of red socks is 1/2.

What is the chance of picking a pair of blue socks?

Asked by Neha on 22 Mar 2023


One day, all the courtiers from Akbar's court were gathered in the assembly hall when one of them told the Emperor that all his valuables had been stolen by a thief the previous night.
This shocked the Emperor to his core as the place where that courter stayed was the most secured in the kingdom. The Emperor thought that it is not at all possible for an outsider to enter into the courtier's house and steal the valuables. Only another courtier could commit this crime. He quickly called Birbal to identify the thief.
Birbal thought for a while and successfully solved the mystery by identifying the thief in just one statement.
What did Birbal say?

Asked by Neha on 17 May 2021

In The 1st month of this year(the year 2013), I noticed that the date 13-1-13 (13 January 2013) is special.

This date is special as:

Date * Month = Year.

Can you figure out which year of this century has a maximum number of such dates?

Asked by Neha on 14 Aug 2024

Can you divide numbers from 1 to 9 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9) into two groups so that the sum of the numbers of each group is equal?

Note: 9 cannot be turned over to make it 6.

Asked by Neha on 19 Jul 2023


What has a bottom at the top?

Asked by Neha on 20 Jul 2025

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Word ladder puzzle

The word ladder puzzle was invented by Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.