Riddle!! - an exercise in logic?!
Question: I've noticed lately that people are regurgitating riddles and rewarding incorrect answers. This is part of the problem when people refuse to think about a problem and just blurt out an answer because they read it somewhere else... the riddle in question is below:
You are participating in a race. You overtake the person in last place. What position are you in?
What do you think the answer to this riddle is?
Answers: I've noticed lately that people are regurgitating riddles and rewarding incorrect answers. This is part of the problem when people refuse to think about a problem and just blurt out an answer because they read it somewhere else... the riddle in question is below:
You are participating in a race. You overtake the person in last place. What position are you in?
What do you think the answer to this riddle is?
your riddle doesn't exclude the possibility that someone is ahead of YOU.
it simply says you overtake the person in last, but someone may have overtaken the last-place runner before you, therefore, you can not determine what place you are in.
well it depends on how many racers there are, the second to last runner can "overtake" the person in last place too
"you are participating" - if i was in a race, i think id be in 3 place xD
last?
A star for that question.
Most people would probably say second to last, but how is that humanly possible? You can't pass someone who is in last place because then were would you have been? The only possible logic of that would be if you had already gone around once and you passed the person again..
Q: If you pass a person in second place what position are you in?
Not racing or not possible.
You can't overtake the last person because there is nobody behind the last person!
Hey, others are copying me!
one step after last?
well there are 3 common answers to this
the wrong one is: second to last place
the right one is: impossible or not actually participating( but not participating wouldnt be right coz it says you are)
An interesting answer is: 1st place, because you overlapped
my take on the interesting answer: we don't know, because even if you did overlap, someone may have overlapped last place before you, thus being in front
but it depends if its a lapped race or a marathon kinda race.
[EDIT] you can overtake someone in a straight race with no laps
and also i challenge your logic, if you overtake someone ion last place, and overlap them, it's not certain that your in first place, it's just likely.
this is true because you've taken on someone in last place, so you've overlapped them. But someone else may have also overlapped last place, and infront of you.
The only thing your certain about is that you're not in last place
You've lapped them, so you are in first.
well, according to the additional information you've given..
probably.. If I overtake the person in the last place then.. I'm still the in the first place..
good one.. :)
first
your still in first place, the other person is just really slow
People are still getting it wrong and although I comend your attempt at enlightening the Yahoo Answers Community your wrong too. Whoever is leading the race can of course overtake and lap the person in last place but so can the person who is second or third. The only logical answer would be that you are in the same position you were before you overtook them. As they are last and already behind you it wont change your position.
ive seen it too they always reward the incorect answers dont they!
i think the answer to your riddle is: Second...you take over (over take) that position