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

Readers with the highest levels of visual skills can find three differences between the pictures of a lion on a scooter. Test your visual prowess now!

Find 3 differences between the pictures of a lion on a scooter

Asked by Neha on 05 Oct 2026


You have two buckets of 11 liters and 6 litres.
How can you measure exactly 8 litres?

Asked by Neha on 17 Jan 2025

By removing one matchstick and adding one matchstick, can you convert the word "ZOO" to an animal name?

Zoo Matchsticks Riddle

Asked by Neha on 27 May 2023


There is a number which when you multiply by 3 and subtract 2 from the result, then the resulting number is the reverse of the actual number.

What is the smallest number that stands true on the statement?

Asked by Neha on 20 Aug 2023

I drive at an average speed of 30 miles per hour to the railroad station each morning and catch my train. On a particular morning, there was a lot of traffic and at the halfway point, I had averaged only 15 miles per hour. How fast must I drive for the rest of the way to catch my train?

Asked by Neha on 21 Jun 2026

A King wants to send the diamond ring to his girlfriend securely. He got multiple locks and their corresponding keys. His girlfriend does not have any keys to these locks and if he sends the key without a lock, the key can be copied in the way. How can King send the ring to his girlfriend securely?

Asked by Neha on 03 Oct 2025


I know a ten-letter word in the English language which can be typed using only the top rows of the computer keyboard.

Asked by Neha on 18 May 2024

What does below chemistry rebus means?

What does this say

Asked by Neha on 02 Feb 2024

In 1990, a person is 15 years old. In 1995, that same person is 10 years old. How can this be?

Asked by Neha on 06 Jul 2025


I have two sand hourglasses:
1. A 7 minute one and
2. An 11-minute one.

Using just these 2 sand hourglasses, how can I measure time as 15 minutes?

Asked by Neha on 29 May 2026

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.