An Engineers Riddle

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SpikedCoffey
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An Engineers Riddle

Post by SpikedCoffey »

OK this was a university level engineering question so if you get it right you are a pretty sharp person.

A light switch has been installed in a building thats under construstion. The switch might turn on and off the lights on the floor above the one the switch is on. You do not know if the switch is working though nor if the lights on the above floor are on or off because u cannot see them. By making only 1 trip up the steps how can u determine if the switch is working?
Last edited by SpikedCoffey on Mon Dec 13, 2004 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I rode a tank and held a generals rank,
When the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank.
I shouted out 'Who killed the Kennedys?'
When after all it was you and me.
Let me please introduce myself, Im a man of wealth and taste.
And I laid traps for troubadours who get killed before they reached bombay.
Pleased to meet you hope you guessed my name.
But whats puzzling you is the nature of my game.
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Post by Squee »

they wont work.. its under construction no lights.. no ceiling.. look up
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Post by CrazyIdiot »

Hold on the building is under construction how can the lights work?
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Post by Squee »

NUH UH.. i got it first.. shush crazy.. :P
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Post by SpikedCoffey »

sorry guys, this is not a trick question so there is an answer.
I rode a tank and held a generals rank,
When the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank.
I shouted out 'Who killed the Kennedys?'
When after all it was you and me.
Let me please introduce myself, Im a man of wealth and taste.
And I laid traps for troubadours who get killed before they reached bombay.
Pleased to meet you hope you guessed my name.
But whats puzzling you is the nature of my game.
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Post by Squee »

you put an electical tester to it...poop head.. :P
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Post by SpikedCoffey »

but even if you did that only means that there is power hooked to the switch, does not mean the lights are hooked up.
I rode a tank and held a generals rank,
When the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank.
I shouted out 'Who killed the Kennedys?'
When after all it was you and me.
Let me please introduce myself, Im a man of wealth and taste.
And I laid traps for troubadours who get killed before they reached bombay.
Pleased to meet you hope you guessed my name.
But whats puzzling you is the nature of my game.
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Post by Squee »

oh bite me.... you drill a hole in the celing...if there is one
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Post by SpikedCoffey »

other then light, what else does a light-bulb give off?
I rode a tank and held a generals rank,
When the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank.
I shouted out 'Who killed the Kennedys?'
When after all it was you and me.
Let me please introduce myself, Im a man of wealth and taste.
And I laid traps for troubadours who get killed before they reached bombay.
Pleased to meet you hope you guessed my name.
But whats puzzling you is the nature of my game.
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Post by Squee »

if you turn it on .. the lights should be on.. if not they dont work
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Post by SpikedCoffey »

but u don't know if the lights are already on.
I rode a tank and held a generals rank,
When the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank.
I shouted out 'Who killed the Kennedys?'
When after all it was you and me.
Let me please introduce myself, Im a man of wealth and taste.
And I laid traps for troubadours who get killed before they reached bombay.
Pleased to meet you hope you guessed my name.
But whats puzzling you is the nature of my game.
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Post by Squee »

heat... the room would be warm??
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Post by Squee »

there are always to switches... one on the floor below.. and one on the floor.. that controlls the lights.. so you go up the steps.. and turn on that switch
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Post by Squee »

you go upstairs and feel the light bulb...if it was off.. and warm.. it means you just turned it off
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Post by SpikedCoffey »

Correct!

if u flip the switch and go upstairs and the light is on but is cold, it is because u just turned it on

if u flip the switch and go upstairs, the light is off but warm it is becasue u jst turned it off.

Good Job Squee!

This question btw was written by the dean of engineering at NC State.
I rode a tank and held a generals rank,
When the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank.
I shouted out 'Who killed the Kennedys?'
When after all it was you and me.
Let me please introduce myself, Im a man of wealth and taste.
And I laid traps for troubadours who get killed before they reached bombay.
Pleased to meet you hope you guessed my name.
But whats puzzling you is the nature of my game.
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Post by BoBo »

i was gona say get some one to walk up stares and turne it on and have him yell down if it worked. or yell at the idiot who wired it funny.
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Post by Squee »

hahahah.. thats exactly what my sisters boyfriend said.. but then he gave up so i told him.. :D
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Post by OxyGen »

hehe we have the same kind off riddle here in belgium but a little more difficult
it goes like this:

upstairs are three light bulbs
and downstairs you have three switches
every switch activates 1 off the bulbs (they are all off at the moment)
you can only go up 1 time
so how can you find out what switch will activate what lightbulb

its more or less the same riddle like the one off coffey.. but here you have to do one thing more
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Post by lumberpat »

You'd flip two of the switches on for a little bit, then turn one of them off, go upstairs and the one that is on is obvious, it goes to the switch that is still on, then you feel the other light bulbs, and the warm one is the switch you turned on for a while but turned off, and the cool one is the one you never turned on.
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Post by Squee »

oh i didnt know we had to answer it... i could of told you that!!! :P
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Post by OxyGen »

lol indeed, the answer was not that difficult anymore ;)
but i was just sharing with ya all =)
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Post by lumberpat »

Sure you could have :-P.
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Post by Squee »

i could have.. i got the first one didnt i.. and look who didnt.. lozer :P!
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Post by lumberpat »

Yes, you're right I did look at the forum after all of you posted, cuz I don't check it every day. Who's the "lozer" now? :-P
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Post by Squee »

im not a lozer... you are.. i dont check it every day... SO HA!!!
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