Clan x86

General Forums => Academic / School => Math and Other Problems => Topic started by: Ender on December 27, 2006, 04:15:46 pm

Title: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: Ender on December 27, 2006, 04:15:46 pm
There are two rooms, one with three switches and the other with three light bulbs. Each switch controls one of the light bulbs. You can't see which switch controls which light bulb. You can only go into the room with the light bulbs once. How can you figure out which switch controls which light bulb?
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: abc on December 27, 2006, 04:33:06 pm
Follow the wire? lol
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: abc on December 27, 2006, 04:44:19 pm
Flip one switch on, wait a minute of so, flip it off, flip another one on, flip it off, flip the third switch on, then go into the room, the hottest bulb (excluding the one on) is the second switch you flipped on. The warm bulb is the one you flipped on first.  :P
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: Sidoh on December 27, 2006, 05:21:13 pm
This riddle was asked of me a while ago.  I got it pretty quickly, but it's still a pretty good one.
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: Rule on December 27, 2006, 08:04:47 pm
It makes more sense to leave just one switch on for a long time, flick it off, turn another switch on, and then go into the room with the bulbs.
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: Ender on December 27, 2006, 09:52:46 pm
Yep, both of your solutions are correct. Good job :) Rule's is a bit more convenient but dlSteven's solution works too.
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: Chavo on December 28, 2006, 01:40:17 am
You're assuming the lights are incandescent and are attached to a large enough power source to generate that kind of heat :)  Fluorescent lights would not retain any noticeable heat nor would very large incandescent bulbs on a weak power source.

That's right.  I went outside the box of your outside-the-box problem. 
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: Ergot on December 28, 2006, 01:42:54 am
You're assuming the lights are incandescent and are attached to a large enough power source to generate that kind of heat :)  Fluorescent lights would not retain any noticeable heat nor would very large incandescent bulbs on a weak power source.

That's right.  I went outside the box of your outside-the-box problem. 
Florescent lights get hot :/
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: Sidoh on December 28, 2006, 01:51:49 am
You're assuming the lights are incandescent and are attached to a large enough power source to generate that kind of heat :)  Fluorescent lights would not retain any noticeable heat nor would very large incandescent bulbs on a weak power source.

That's right.  I went outside the box of your outside-the-box problem. 

As Ergot said, I've noticed that ordinary florescent lights get hot enough to retain heat for long enough to perform this kind of experiment.

You may have when outside of the box, but I think you're being extremely nitpicky. ;)
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: rabbit on December 28, 2006, 08:27:35 am
What if they were LED lights?  Dun dun dun.....
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: abc on December 29, 2006, 12:58:13 pm
rabbit: lol.

unTactical: Florescent lights get really really hot. I had a black light in my room that was a florescent light and that fucking would light your hands on fire if left on for 30 minutes+
Title: Re: Light Bulb Problem
Post by: Sidoh on December 29, 2006, 01:05:54 pm
What if they were LED lights?  Dun dun dun.....

If they were, I'd throw a brick at you!