this post was submitted on 25 Dec 2025
497 points (96.8% liked)

Programmer Humor

28033 readers
801 users here now

Welcome to Programmer Humor!

This is a place where you can post jokes, memes, humor, etc. related to programming!

For sharing awful code theres also Programming Horror.

Rules

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Post:

You have three switches in one room and a single light bulb in another room. You are allowed to visit the room with the light bulb only once. How do you figure out which switch controls the bulb? Write your answer in the comments before looking at other answers.


Comment:

If this were an interview question, the correct response would be "Do you have any relevant questions for me? Because have a long list of things that more deserving of my precious time than to think about this!

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] neatchee@piefed.social 1 points 2 hours ago

As I said, they care about how you think. Do you ask all these questions?

if I were given this interview question I would immediately start asking questions: Do I have my phone? Can I bring any objects into the room? Do I know the construction of the light? How far from the room is the light switch panel?

Asking "what are the limitations and conditions of this situation" is literally the thing they want to see. That's my entire point.