Overview

Solving the future of work puzzle needs creative thinking.

Securing your people and business against constantly evolving threats is complex. Maintaining productivity means solving seamless connectivity. Keeping your team connected in an uncertain future needs an adaptable strategy. As each of these puzzles prove. Our expert insights and proven, creative solutions can help you unlock the future of work. Contact us today with your hybrid working puzzle.

Unlocking the future of work puzzles

You have to get a fox, a hen and a bag of corn across a river. But your boat can only carry one of them at a time. The fox can’t be left with the hen. The hen can’t be left with the corn. How many trips do you need to make?

You see three switches outside the closed door of a room. One switch turns on a bulb inside the room. How can you determine which one? You can only enter the room once to check.

Navigate this criss-crossing trail without missing out a single pathway or intersection. You mustn’t use the same path twice. So where do you start?

You see two doors. One leads to triumph, the other disaster. By each door stands a guard.  One always lies, the other always tells the truth. You don’t know which guard is which. But you can ask one of them a single question. What is your question? 

Solutions

1. River crossing riddle

You'll need to make 7 trips.

  1. Take the hen over.
  2. Return.
  3. Take the corn over.
  4. Return with the hen.
  5. Take the fox over.
  6. Return.
  7. Take the hen over.

2. Three switches 

Turn the first switch on for 5 minutes, then switch on the second and enter the room.

If the bulb is on, it’s controlled by the 2nd switch. If the bulb is off but it’s warm to the touch, the 1st switch controls the bulb.

If the bulb is off but it’s not warm, the 3rd switch controls the bulb.

3. Find the path

Start and finish at the only intersections with an odd number of paths. To travel through one intersection to another you need an entrance and exit point.

Some intersections have two (which you travel through once), some have four (which you travel through twice). The intersections that don’t are the two that don’t need an entrance (the start) or an exit (the finish).

Once you know that, there are many ways to traverse the trail without using the same path twice or missing any intersections.

4. Two guards, two doors

Ask one of the guards, ‘Which door would the other guard say leads to triumph?’

If you ask the guard who tells the truth, he knows the other guard would lie, and point to the door leading to disaster.

If you ask the guard who lies, he knows the other guard would tell the truth, so he’ll lie and also point you to the door leading to disaster. So, you simply chose the other door.