Pretty Hard Riddle

[Kalashnikov33]

First of all, if you heard this one then do not answer. You'll just ruin it for everyone else. Okay...

A man is in a jail cell. There are two buttons inside the cell that he is able to push. Pushing one of the buttons will result in death; the other will result in the inmate's freedom.

Now, there are two guards outside of his cell. The inmate is able to ask one guard one question. To make things more interesting, one of the guards always tells the truth and the other always lies. The inmate cannot tell the truthful one from the liar.

The riddle is: What can the inmate do that guarantees his release (100%, no chance of pushing the wrong button)?

Note: By 100%, I mean that asking a guard which button will release him and banking that that guard is the truthful one is unacceptbale.

 

[anonymous4401]

What will the other guard say which is the right button?

 

[Bose]

Have you heard it before anonymous? If not, thats pretty impressive mate

 

[Kalashnikov33]

Haha. Yeah he's definitely heard it before. No one gets it that quick.

 

[WillJ]

Actually, that doesn't guarentee his release, because the inmate might be too stupid to interpret the answer of the question.

So WRONG!

 

[PantheraTigris2]

I first saw this in that movie Labyrinth - when I was a kid.

 

[Kalashnikov33]

Originally posted by WillJ
Actually, that doesn't guarentee his release, because the inmate might be too stupid to interpret the answer of the question.

So WRONG!

No. He just chooses the opposite of whatever the guard that he asked says. If he asks the truthful guard what the liar would say, he goes opposite of that. And vice versa for asking the liar.

I see your point though; just trying to ruin my riddle.

 

[WillJ]

Originally posted by Kalashnikov33
No. He just chooses the opposite of whatever the guard that he asked says. If he asks the truthful guard what the liar would say, he goes opposite of that. And vice versa for asking the liar.

Yeah, I know.

Originally posted by Kalashnikov33
I see your point though; just trying to ruin my riddle.

Yep, that's me! No, really, I was just kidding around.

 

[Judge_Deadd]

He asks the first guard, e.g.: "How many legs do you have?" If he replies 2, then he is truth-telling one. If else, he is the liar.
Now he asks the second guard: "which button will free me?" He knows which guard it is (he knows who is the first guard), so he knows how to interprete the guard's answer.

 

[brandonbowler]

Whoa my brain hurts.

 

[Elden]

Originally posted by Judge_Deadd
He asks the first guard, e.g.: "How many legs do you have?" If he replies 2, then he is truth-telling one. If else, he is the liar.
Now he asks the second guard: "which button will free me?" He knows which guard it is (he knows who is the first guard), so he knows how to interprete the guard's answer.

You can only ask one question

 

[Judge_Deadd]

One question to one guard.

 

[Elden]

Originally posted by Judge_Deadd
One question to one guard.

Yes, not one question to each guard.

 

[Kalashnikov33]

Correct.

 

[RoddyVR]

when you give this sort of riddle, dont say "if you've heard this one before, dont post the answer"

there so many variations of this same riddle (liar and truth guy, ask 1 question) and they all (well most) have the same answer that you have to warn "if you've heard a riddle LIKE this one then dont post the answer" or even better, "dont post the answer"

 

[CivCynic]

Blackmail one of the guards.