The King and the Light Bulb

Appeared in Volume 9/1, February 1996

A king had a beautiful daughter, and many suitors asking for her hand in marriage. The king devised a riddle to test the men. If a suitor failed to answer it, the king would cut off the fellow's head.

The king would take the suitor down into the hallway of a dungeon. At the end of the hallway there was a steel room with a single light bulb hanging from a wire which gave it power. The room was sealed by a large steel door which had no window, and completely hid the room from view when closed.

The king and suitor stood by three switches in the down position. The king would tell the man that he had one hour to state which switch turned on the light. The door of the room was closed, and the suitor would only be able to open the door after he had played with the switches. At that time, he would have to make his guess. If he guessed wrongly the king would cut off his head.

The light was off initially.

Would you be able to win the princesses hand in marriage?

From 'Games' Magazine
July, 1995