puzzle 048 curious village

Puzzle 048: The Three Switches (from Professor Layton and the Curious Village) Problem: There are three switches outside a room. Only one of them controls a single lightbulb inside the room. The other two do nothing. You can flip the switches as much as you want, but you can only enter the room once to check the bulb. How can you determine which switch controls the bulb? Solution: Turn on the first switch and leave it on for a few minutes. - The bulb will heat up if its the correct one. Turn it off, then immediately turn on the second switch. - Now, enter the room. Observe the bulb: - If the bulb is on The second switch controls it. - If the bulb is off but warm The first switch controls it. - If the bulb is off and cold The third switch controls it. This method uses both the state of the bulb (on/off) and heat to identify the correct switch with just one room entry. Why it works: Heat lingers after the bulb is turned off, giving you additional information beyond just the lights current state. Only one switch is ever left on when you check, eliminating ambiguity. Let me know if you'd like another puzzle explained!