Solve the Mystery: Find the Switch that Lights the Attic

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a logic puzzle involving three light switches in a cellar, where participants attempt to determine which switch controls a light in the attic. The scope includes problem-solving strategies and reasoning related to the puzzle.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes a method involving turning on the first switch, waiting, then checking the second switch to deduce which switch controls the light based on the bulb's state and temperature.
  • Another participant repeats the same method, emphasizing the conditions under which the reasoning holds true, specifically that the bulb must be off initially.
  • A later reply humorously questions the clarity of the previous posts, suggesting a lack of focus or clarity in communication.
  • Another participant suggests a different approach, involving a long-term method of identifying the switch by observing a black spot on the switch that has been flipped over time.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple approaches to solving the puzzle, with no consensus on a single correct method. The discussion remains unresolved with competing strategies being proposed.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the initial state of the bulb and the effectiveness of the proposed methods are not explicitly stated, which may affect the validity of the reasoning presented.

scupydog
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In the cellar you have three light switches, one of which turns the light on in the attic.

You can only go upstairs once to check the light in the attic.

Which switch turns on the light?
 
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You open the 1st switch and you wait for a while, say 1 min. Then you close the 1st switch, and you open the second. Then you go to the attic.

  1. If the bulb is on then the correct switch is the 2nd.
  2. If the dulb is off then you touch it.
    • If the bulb is hot then you have turned on the buld, so the oret switch is the 1st.
    • If the bulb is cold then tou have never turn it on, so the correct swith is the 3rd.

Of course, all of that are correct if the bulb was turned off from the begging! :smile:
 
Rainbow Child said:
You open the 1st switch and you wait for a while, say 1 min. Then you close the 1st switch, and you open the second. Then you go to the attic.

  1. If the bulb is on then the correct switch is the 2nd.
  2. If the dulb is off then you touch it.
    • If the bulb is hot then you have turned on the buld, so the oret switch is the 1st.
    • If the bulb is cold then tou have never turn it on, so the correct swith is the 3rd.

Of course, all of that are correct if the bulb was turned off from the begging! :smile:
Are you drunk, or are you typing in the dark? :rolleyes:
 
I was typing drunk, in the dark! :smile:
 
Surprising that you are in the dark since you are handy with light switches.
 
Flick one switch on and off for about 5 years. Turn it off. Turn on another. Go up into the attic. The one with the black spot is the switch you were flipping, the other two are known due to the one that is on.
 

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