[3 Switch 3 Bulb] Puzzle

[ErGingerbreadMandude]

Are you guys familiar with the 3 switch 3 bulb puzzle?

So it goes like this: 

Suppose that you are standing in a hallway next to 3 light switches, which are all off. There is another room down the hallway, where there are 3 incandescent light bulbs – each light bulb is operated by one of the switches in the hallway. Because the light bulbs are in another room, you can not see them since you are standing in the hallway.

How would you figure out which switch operates which light bulb, if you can only go the room with the light bulbs one time, and only one time?

So basically the puzzle wants you to figure out which switch corresponds to which bulb inside room.
I've seen lots of creative answers to this question but nothing purely or at least part logical.

Is there a mathematical answer to this question?
What do you guys think?

[Exian]

This is what I'd do.

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Turn on two lights. Wait about a minute. Turn one off. Go in the room. The light that's on corresponds to the switch left on (obviously). The bulb that's still warm to the touch corresponds to the one you turned off. The third bulb corresponds to the light switch you never flipped.

That's probably a creative answer. Don't know how else to do it.

---

[Tiberius]

I heard this problem when I was younger. The solution I always heard was:

1) Turn the first switch on and wait a few minutes.
2) Turn the first switch off and the second switch on.
3) Go into the room. If the light-bulb is on, then the second switch is the correct one. If the light-bulb is off, place your hand near to the bulb; if it is hot, the first switch is the correct one. If it is cool, the third switch must logically be the correct one.

[ErGingerbreadMandude]

Well,i thought long and hard about this puzzle and i came to the conclusion that it is impossible to determine its answer logically.
But purely creative answer seemed like a no brainer to me.So i kind of mixed some creativity into my logic:

I made an assumption,that is,:

The puzzle wants us to find which switch corresponds to which bulb,so its obvious that each and every switch in its corresponding position will not turn on the bulb in the same position.
(i.e. The switch in position x,y,z won't turn on bulbs in the same position) 

How about this:

I turn the first switch on.
I enter the room.

Now there are three possibilities:

Third bulb is on.
Second bulb is on.
First bulb is on.


Lets consider the second possibility(picked randomly):


So if i switched on the first switch and the second bulb is turned on:

Wouldn't it be fair to assume that if i switched on the 2nd switch the 3rd bulb would not light up?
Because if the 3rd bulb lights up - wouldn't it mean that if the 3rd switch is switched on then the 1st bulb would light up?

Why?Because if it does,will that not make the switch and the bulb be in the same order as that of their positioning?


*Suppose i switched on the first switch and went inside the room: 

I see that the 2nd bulb is switched on. [ 1st switch -> 2nd bulb ]
So now i know that the 2nd switch won't turn the 3rd bulb on. [ 2nd switch -/> 3rd bulb ]
So now i know that the 2nd switch will turn the 1st bulb on. [2nd switch -> 1st bulb ]
Which would mean that the 3rd switch will turn the 3rd bulb on. [3rd switch -> 3rd bulb ]

*Suppose i switched on the first switch and went inside the room: 

I see that the 1st bulb is switched on. [ 1st switch -> 1st bulb ]
So now i know that the 2nd switch won't turn the 2nd bulb on. [ 2nd switch -/> 2nd bulb ]
So now i know that the 2nd switch will turn the 3rd bulb on. [2nd switch -> 3rd bulb ]
Which would mean that the 3rd switch will turn the 2nd bulb on. [3rd switch -> 2nd bulb ]


*Suppose i switched on the first switch and went inside the room: 

I see that the 3rd bulb is switched on. [ 1st switch -> 3rd bulb ]
So now i know that the 2nd switch won't turn the 1st bulb on. [ 2nd switch -/> 1st bulb ]
So now i know that the 2nd switch will turn the 2nd bulb on. [2nd switch -> 2nd bulb ]
Which would mean that the 3rd switch will turn the 1st bulb on. [3rd switch -> 1st bulb ]

(That's about the most logical answer i could come up to this puzzle)
What do you guys think?

[Longhorn]

Flip them on and off for about 30mins until the fuse blows, then no switch lights any bulb

What, you said creative

[Jackalope]

I smoke a bowl while I send my willing assistant (Hi, Kitty) into the other room with a two-way radio.

[ErGingerbreadMandude]

I smoke a bowl while I send my willing assistant (Hi, Kitty) into the other room with a two-way radio.

Hahahahahahahahaha i love this dude hahahaha

*Sudden serious face*
 
Too bad the room blocks out all radio signals.(Bye, Kitty) 

(Sheldon evil laugh)
Mwuah
ha 
ha

I own the kitty now.

[Aoi Magi]

hmm, I can send in that old lady leaving two doors down from me. With her vocal talents, I won't need no two way radios.

[Homeless Nutter]

Well,i thought long and hard about this puzzle and i came to the conclusion that it is impossible to determine its answer logically.
But purely creative answer seemed like a no brainer to me.So i kind of mixed some creativity into my logic[...]

Why would it be  impossible to determine the answers logically? Just because you can't figure it out, doesn't mean it can't be done. 

You don't seem to be taking into account all the information in the puzzle - mainly that those are incandescent light bulbs (it's specifically mentioned in your puzzle!), which means they heat up.  That's why - as some people already mentioned - you can turn one switch on (switch A) , wait a couple of minutes, then turn it off, turn another one on (switch B) and go into the room with the lights. One of the lights will be lit - that's the last switch you turned on (switch B), one light bulb will be warm - that's the first switch (switch A) you turned on and then off, and the third one will be off and cold - that's the third switch (switch C), the one you did not turn on at all. 

It's very simple - and logical. No need to start jumping into "pure creativity", which is - essentially - nonsense and the cause of great many bad ideas. 

And if that's still too complicated and you want a "purely creative" solution that kind of "works" - you can just start ripping the cables out of the wall, until you figure out which switch is connected to which light. But that's not the point of the puzzle.

[ErGingerbreadMandude]

Well,i thought long and hard about this puzzle and i came to the conclusion that it is impossible to determine its answer logically.
But purely creative answer seemed like a no brainer to me.So i kind of mixed some creativity into my logic[...]

Why would it be  impossible to determine the answers logically? Just because you can't figure it out, doesn't mean it can't be done. 

You don't seem to be taking into account all the information in the puzzle - mainly that those are incandescent light bulbs (it's specifically mentioned in your puzzle!), which means they heat up.  That's why - as some people already mentioned - you can turn one switch on (switch A) , wait a couple of minutes, then turn it off, turn another one on (switch B) and go into the room with the lights. One of the lights will be lit - that's the last switch you turned on (switch B), one light bulb will be warm - that's the first switch (switch A) you turned on and then off, and the third one will be off and cold - that's the third switch (switch C), the one you did not turn on at all. 

It's very simple - and logical. No need to start jumping into "pure creativity", which is - essentially - nonsense and the cause of great many bad ideas. 

And if that's still too complicated and you want a "purely creative" solution that kind of "works" - you can just start ripping the cables out of the wall, until you figure out which switch is connected to which light. But that's not the point of the puzzle.

I didn't mean that kind of a solution.....