The man who takes the lift to the seventh floor

Question

A man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every morning he takes the lift down to the ground floor and goes to work. Every evening he takes the lift up to the seventh floor and walks up the remaining three flights of stairs to his flat. On rainy days, however, he rides the lift all the way to the tenth floor. He is not exercising and he likes the lift. Why?

Accepted Answer

He is very short. He can reach the ground-floor button and the button for the seventh floor, but not the button for the tenth. On rainy days he carries an umbrella and uses it to press the higher button. Why the clues fit. Going down, he needs only the ground-floor button, which is the lowest and within reach. Going up, the highest button he can reach is the seventh. The umbrella on rainy days extends his reach. If someone else is in the lift he can ask them to press ten, which is why the puzzle usually adds "when alone". Why it is a useful puzzle. It is a pure exercise in generating hypothes…

The man who takes the lift to the seventh floor

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