What strategy could they use to ensure they will go free?
There is a prison with 100 prisoners, each in separate cells with no form of contact. There is an area in the prison with a single light bulb in it. Each day, the warden picks one of the prisoners at random, even if they have been picked before, and takes them out to the lobby. The prisoner will have the choice to flip the switch if they want. The light bulb starts off.
When a prisoner is taken into the area with the light bulb, he can also say “Every prisoner has been brought to the light bulb.” If this is true all prisoners will go free. However, if a prisoner chooses to say this and it’s wrong, all the prisoners will be executed. So a prisoner should only say this if he knows it is true for sure.
Before the first day of this process begins, all the prisoners are allowed to get together to discuss a strategy to eventually save themselves.
What strategy could they use to ensure they will go free?
Only allow one prisoner to turn the light bulb off and all of the others turn it on if they have never turned it on before. If they have turned it on before they do nothing. The prisoner that can turn it off then knows they have all been there and saves them all when he has turned it off 99 times.
Your Answer
More puzzles to try-
If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?
Hint: Apply logicRead More »Can’t Buy or Sell
What is greater than gold but cannot be bought. it can never be sold and can earn if its sought. ...Read More »A Man with Medical Condition and 2 Pills
A man has a medical condition that requires him to take two kinds of pills, call them A and B. ...Read More »The Gravity on Mars
Two Martians and two Earthlings traveling together came to a canal. As a result of the gravity on Mars, the ...Read More »If ‘JANUARY’ is ‘JULY’ then August is what riddle
If ‘JANUARY’ is ‘JULY’, ‘SEPTEMBER’ is ‘SEPTEMBER, ‘FEBRUARY’ is ‘AUGUST’ and ‘MARCH’ is ‘MAY’ then ‘AUGUST’ is ?Read More »Bulb and switch riddle
You are in a room with three light switches, each of which controls one of three light bulbs in the ...Read More »Two Fathers and two Sons
Two fathers and two sons went fishing one day. They were there the whole day and only caught 3 fish. ...Read More »Girl anf Boyfriend
A girl came running home crying because her boyfriend broke up with her. When she got home, she broke her ...Read More »How come this be true ?
A donkey travels the exact same distance daily. strangely 2 of his legs travels 40 kilometers and the remaining two ...Read More »6 afraid of 7 riddle
Why is 6 so much afraid of 7? Think Funny 🙂Read More »Puzzle for Friends
What does this rebus riddle mean?Read More »Find the Wine
I have nine bottles of wine and one of the nine bottles is poisoned. I need to find the poisoned ...Read More »What am I puzzle
I am a protector. I Sit on a bridge. One individual can see directly through me , while others wonder ...Read More »Sound like Sneeze
What is a foot long, made of leather, and sounds like a sneeze?Read More »Mother’s Brother
Your mother’s brother’s only brother-in-law is asleep on your couch. Who is asleep on your couch?Read More »The Two trains Riddle
Train A, traveling 70 miles per hour (mph), leaves Mexico city heading toward Atlixco city, 260 miles away. At the ...Read More »Who am I?
I have a big mouth and I am also quite loud! I am NOT a gossip but I do get ...Read More »Calculating smallest possible children in the family
Each child in a family has at least 4 brothers and 2 sisters. What is the smallest number of children ...Read More »Find the Mistakes
There are are five things wrong with this sentence; only geniuses will be able to to spot all of the ...Read More »Can you identify the color of the servant who is speaking the truth?
The king of Octopuses has servants who have six, seven or eight legs. The distinguishing characteristics of the servants is ...Read More »