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A Riddle...

Posted by Alcomum • 6/28/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: fun, lateral thinking, puzzle, riddle

There was once a recluse who never left his home. The only time anyone ever visited him was when his food and supplies were delivered, but they never came inside. Then, one stormy winter night when an icy gale was blowing, he had a nervous breakdown. He went upstairs, turned off all the lights and went to bed. Next morning, he had caused the deaths of several hundred people. How?

User Comments

6/28/09

Epicharis

He was a lighthouse keeper.

[reply]
1. 6/28/09
  
  Anok
  
  Very good!
6/28/09

Anok

And here I was going to say that he had confused his light switch for the switch to his super deathonator ray gun.

Oops.

[reply]
1. 6/28/09
  
  Epicharis
  
  haha! I do that all the time!
2. 6/28/09
  
  Anok
  
  Accidentally on purpose, right?
3. 6/28/09
  
  Epicharis
  
  erm...huh...did you say something?
4. 6/28/09
  
  Anok
  
  /looks around nervously for strange rays of light with crosshairs at the end of them....
6/28/09

Alcomum

god u lot are smart. i puzzled over that for ages and still didn't get it! try this one...

You are trapped in a room with two doors. One leads to certain death and the other leads to freedom. You don't know which is which.

There are two robots guarding the doors. They will let you choose one door but upon doing so you must go through it.

You can, however, ask one robot one question. The problem is one robot always tells the truth ,the other always lies and you don't know which is which.

What is the question you ask?

[reply]
1. 6/29/09
  
  allielujah
  
  How very Labyrinth-esque =]
6/28/09

Sam1982

you ask one if the other will lie

[reply]
1. 6/28/09
  
  Alcomum
  
  but you only get 1 question - so that doesn't help you choose a door
2. 6/28/09
  
  Epicharis
  
  he ask if the other one would tell you to go through this door.
3. 6/28/09
  
  Alcomum
  
  you are getting there...
6/28/09

timethief

changed my mind - comment removed

[reply]
6/28/09

agnespages

Ask one of the robots what the other one would answer to the question "is your door safe to go through?".

[reply]
6/28/09

agnespages

well?

[reply]
6/28/09

dsriharsha

Is it true that you tell the truth if and only if door1 is safe?

answer is yes: door 1 is safe
answer is no: door 2 is safe

[reply]
6/29/09

Alcomum

@agnespages - well done. sori to keep you waiting, was sleeping then doing school run

[reply]
1. 6/29/09
  
  agnespages
  
  :-)
7/01/09

Theresa111

Lighthouses should always "Keep The Lights on."

[reply]