Where is

[rich p]

Shouldn't this be in the big balls forum?

Here's a picture of Turkey at Christmas.
This tree is made of Istanbul's

 

[srw]

If I read the problem correctly, a single prisoner - in this case the counter - could be selected to go into the switch room once, but never again.

If that's right, the solution doesn't work.

Mathematically, that's impossible. If the selection is truly random and the probability of each individual being selected is positive, then eventually everyone will be selected an arbitrarily large number of times.

In the real world, the prison guard would frig the selection because he's an evil bastard. Or would just kill them all at random, unless he took perverse pleasure in torturing inmates with irrelevantly tricksy logic problems.

 

[Aperitif]

Your spherical folly idea is gathering pace, Rich, just in time for Xmas. Will it just be for thickos like me, or can chaps like Linford and his Audi Langs Ayne photographs come in to play? You'll be inundated ere you know it! Off-topic tomfoolery should find its way there...
threeballsmcginty will be one of the first.

 

[classic33]

Mathematically, that's impossible. If the selection is truly random and the probability of each individual being selected is positive, then eventually everyone will be selected an arbitrarily large number of times.

In the real world, the prison guard would frig the selection because he's an evil b******. Or would just kill them all at random, unless he took perverse pleasure in torturing inmates with irrelevantly tricksy logic problems.

"Given enough time, everyone will eventually visit the switch room the same number of times as everyone else. At any time, anyone may declare to me, 'We have all visited the switch room.'"

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Your spherical folly idea is gathering pace, Rich, just in time for Xmas. Will it just be for thickos like me, or can chaps like Linford and his Audi Langs Ayne photographs come in to play? You'll be inundated ere you know it! Off-topic tomfoolery should find its way there...
threeballsmcginty will be one of the first.

I'm not allowed here, got told to **** off.

 

[rich p]

Here's a picture of Turkey at Christmas.
This tree is made of Istanbul's

Your spherical folly idea is gathering pace, Rich, just in time for Xmas. Will it just be for thickos like me, or can chaps like Linford and his Audi Langs Ayne photographs come in to play? You'll be inundated ere you know it! Off-topic tomfoolery should find its way there...
threeballsmcginty will be one of the first.

Anyone can come to the new 'Snowballs like an Oldballs' forum. Cum all ye.

 

[rich p]

I'm not allowed here, got told to **** off.

I think it was 'get stuffed' but it could have been 'pluck off'

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I think it was 'get stuffed' but it could have been 'pluck off'

Same difference.

 

[classic33]

Sod off, I'm still on prisoners. Its to do with switch combinations, but I cant figure out what exactly.

How you doing with the Warden & The Prisioners?

 

[Risex4]

How you doing with the Warden & The Prisioners?

Well, as you've asked, I'm guessing previous answers weren't quite correct.

My thinking was along the same lines as Moon bunny, although I initially was hung up on the unknown starting positions of the switches and how it would be viable to get the state known so an accurate count could be initiated. I thought Moon bunny's solution provided for that, but I haven't been back to it since Sunday morning so would need revisit it later when I've had time to run through it again. Like

Unless of course, I've missed the outside-the-box behind this completely, and the strategy is that when they are all allowed to meet up at the very start, they ask to hold the strategy meeting in the switch room; the condition of the puzzle being that they have all visited at least once (not that they have all switched a switch) and by the rules of a logic puzzle, this option hasn't (technically) expressly been restricted.

 

[classic33]

@Risex4
I bet your glad you asked for these puzzles now!
Everything was given when I posted it.