The three switches puzzle: Can you solve it?

Alex Bellos is back with another puzzle. This time you don't need to be smarter than a six-year old, or be mates with Cheryl or Denise: you just need to be able to figure out which switch controls a lamp. Simple, right?

The Guardian on YouTube:

[Nabalazs]

I turn switch 1 on, let it be lit for an hour or so, then switch it off. Then I turn on switch 2 and go to the attic. If the bulb is warm, but off, it was switch 1, if the bulb is lit, its switch 2, if the bulb is cold and off, its switch 3.

TA DAAA. BTW, I'm not a genious. I've heared this riddle before, and we were told the answers. But it was fun to think about it for a week :)

[szepesi]

I turn two of them on and leave them be for couple of hours. If it was one of the two, the bulb has heated up. So I turn one of the two off and go up. If it was the one that I did not tuch, the bulb is cold. If the bulb is not shining, but its hot, it was the one that I just turned off. And lastly is the bulb is shining it is the one that is switched on. :)

[feltuzok]

Well yes, i was thinking the same as the others in the comment section. It's that simple, you just turn on switch number 1 for a few minutes or hours so the bulb heats up, then you immidiately turn number 1 off, then you turn number 2 switch on, you go up and then upstairs if the bulb is turned on then it's switch number 2, if the bulb is not turned on but it is hot or warm then it's switch number 1, if it is cold or not even warm then switch number 3 is connected to the bulb. It's that it.

[szkkteam]

Rip off each switch from the wall and you will see 6 cables running in the wall. Carefully connect each of the 6 cables together, so the circuit is closed (shorted the switch) the lamp will ON.

[dt-games]

Interesting! I got it right but wasn't actually expecting that to be the answer. Even more interesting is that once you know the method, you can in fact solve the same puzzle with FOUR switches in a very similar way. Thanks for sharing!

[harbinger]

Alternate way: turn all switches on then go to attic with a knife and a towel unplug lamp wrap towel around knife handle and shove it in the outlet. This will short circuit the outlet and the switch that's connected will flip off

[clarkkentsuperman]

Turn first switch on for a few minutes then turn off, turn the second switch on and leave it on. Leave third switch off. Go to attic. If the light is on, you know it's the second switch. If it is off and warm, it is the first switch, if it is off and cold, it is the third switch. Using this method you could also figure it out if there were 4 switches...

[Unce-G]

I turn to the first, let me go for a few hours. so the bulb heats up! Then switch off! The second one will leave me alone! And the third turn!(If it was, I can see that lights up when the first, then the bulb is hot when it is not hot and does not burn, it was the second)

[antoineblanchard]

put two fingers on each switch. slowly and under pressure turn on one and them another. the one that conducts the electricity upwards should generate spark (in case the others do not work)

[eeeevision]

Briliant stuff
Nailed it pretty fast :)

[sushantnaidu]

first switch on a one switch
for 30 min than switch that switch
afterward switch on the second switch and go
to the that room check if it the lamp is on than its second switch .if the lamp is warm than its first switch .if it's not warm and it's not on than its the third switch

[rekabgal]

The third switch, because of its red color wire is the same as the lamp wire. (thickness, color intensity).

[flippingdomain]

Rewire the lamp to a bell. When you click the right switch the bell rings.

[ALBO]

you turn one switch on an d wait for about 5-7 minuntes, turn it off and then turn another switch on. then when you go to check the bulb if it's of and worm it's the one you switched on and off if it's on it's the one that you switched on and you get the rest..

[gron]

Didnt see the solutions but: turn two on on and one on out and stay there 4 a minute. Put one of the on switches off and go down. If the light is out and the lamp is cold its the switch which was off all the time. If the lamp is off but warm its the switch which was turned off before walking upstairs. If its on its the switch which was on all the time

[ZsoltFeke]

Logically.. If I'm in a room where there are three switches, then one of them is the switch of the light of that room. It's easy to figure out which one is that.. After that I turn on one of the other two and I go upstairs. If the light is on, then it was that switch, if it's off, then it was the other one.

[CaptainMug]

This problem was in a game on the pc I used to play when I was little... It had all sorts of little problems such as:
You're at a giant chasm, you want to cross it but all you have is a rope and a pair of scissors. There is an anchor at each side of the chasm to tie the rope to, and there is a person on the other side of the chasm to catch the rope if need be. The person cannot support the weight of the rope if you step onto it so the rope needs to be tied to the anchors other side, unfortunately if you tied a knot on one side, the rope won't be long enough to tie a knot on the other side... how do you get across?

[bindair_dundat]

Heroic mode:
The lightbulb is out of reach for you and one of the switches lets a rabid Rottweiler into the attic.

[bewy]

My theory: If you turn it on it gets hot, right? So you should be able to tell which switch it was based on the heat of the lightbulb. Although, you'd have to either estimate or leave it for a very long time before going up.
The real question is why I'm not letting myself go back into the basement

[ubermutt]

Really? Just 1 person? I find that hard to believe considering how easy it is.