Brain Teasers
Racer's Edge
Fun: (2.48)
Difficulty: (0.89)
Puzzle ID: #13031
Submitted By: lil_miz_indepent Corrected By: Winner4600
Submitted By: lil_miz_indepent Corrected By: Winner4600
Trick
Trick brain teasers appear difficult at first, but they have a trick that makes them really easy.Trick
There are 10 competitors in a 200 meter Olympic race.
If you surpass the person in last place what place are you in?
If you surpass the person in last place what place are you in?
Answer
You can't. The person in last place has no one behind him to surpass him.Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
This answer is only possible, in this specific case, of a short race. if it was a car race, or a marathon, the answer could be the first, second, and all places but the last.
It does not say last finishing place. Places are declared at various times during the race.
EASY! cant any1 think up any hard ones anymore? ;) joking joking, least u tried!
Man! HA! YOU GOT ME BAD! I was thinkin there was some catch, but i didn't even think about the last place! Awesome teaser, into my favorites box you go.
Setzer, as the editor who added the "200 meter race" part, I can say that it was added specifically for the purpose of eliminating the possibility that the last place runner could get lapped. As it is written, this teaser is fine.
Hi I'm new to Braingle. My real name is Menno and I think it is also possible to say that the person in question is in 9th place.
Looking at the grammar of the question I am drawn to the very important word surpass;
sur·pass tr.v. sur·passed, sur·pass·ing, sur·pass·es
1. To be beyond the limit, powers, or capacity of.
2. To be or go beyond, as in degree or quality; exceed.
Whether the race is 200 meters or not. If someone has swum/run faster than me for say, three quarters of the race, and I pass them, this is the same as surpassing them. So if I pass the final placed person I am in 9th position... but indeed if the race were even longer you could be in any position as you pass them 1 lap later.
Looking at the grammar of the question I am drawn to the very important word surpass;
sur·pass tr.v. sur·passed, sur·pass·ing, sur·pass·es
1. To be beyond the limit, powers, or capacity of.
2. To be or go beyond, as in degree or quality; exceed.
Whether the race is 200 meters or not. If someone has swum/run faster than me for say, three quarters of the race, and I pass them, this is the same as surpassing them. So if I pass the final placed person I am in 9th position... but indeed if the race were even longer you could be in any position as you pass them 1 lap later.
Hey, no competitor can surpass the last place, everyone has. But there were 10 competitors and ME. That is, I can surpass the last one racing, since I can be, for instance, the camera man. :-)
SO, an alternative answer is "In no place, cause I'm not running, I'm the camera man".
This was an old and easy one that goes like the one "If you surpass the second place, what place are you in?". (Hey, Being old does not take away the goodness of it.) Cheers!
SO, an alternative answer is "In no place, cause I'm not running, I'm the camera man".
This was an old and easy one that goes like the one "If you surpass the second place, what place are you in?". (Hey, Being old does not take away the goodness of it.) Cheers!
Thank You for allt the Comments!
shoultn't this be trick?
i didnt noe wat surpassed meant
i just assumed he was lapped by whoever was first...
I didn't assume anything because the question was confusing. Then it sounded more to me like the arguement that 0 is not a number and if you actually in the last position and pass up the person in the 9th position, then the original 9th position would be in 10th position which means you would have had to pass yourself or that person again. 200 meeters isn't that far for lapping so it is impossible to pass that position by lapping that position entirely unless you were running on a tiny track.
Also, I don't know why am I commenting trying to rationalize a teaser that no one has commented on in ages!
Also, I don't know why am I commenting trying to rationalize a teaser that no one has commented on in ages!
And then I got it that you can be in any postion from 1st to 9th and even pass that person in last place and you would still be in 1st place or whatever place you held initially. DUH! If that's even the correct answer....I hate being confused!
The answer should be changed to make it clearer!!!
The answer should be changed to make it clearer!!!
SURPASS in present tense means the race is still going on -- if the person had written surpassED, the answer would have been 9th place! Get it?
That is one of the best trick teasers i have eva read!
I don't understand it why you guys argue in great detail about certain irrelevant aspects of a teaser that should lead the teaser to incredibly obscure variations that change the answer.
The teaser is two lines long! The main and only point of the teaser is that you can't pass the person in last. You don't need to get all "magic bullet" on us.
The teaser is two lines long! The main and only point of the teaser is that you can't pass the person in last. You don't need to get all "magic bullet" on us.
The only reason I got this one is because I tried submitting it before.
Your question is phrased "if you surpass him" which means that is all we are concerned with. Thus you would have to be in 1st place and SOMEHOW have lapped the guy in last place. If you are going to be that literal, then your question could not have been answered.
why can't it be the 1st or 2nd or etc. to pass him. he could have been really slow or gave up and someone could have passed him. I think there should have been more thought into it.
I agree. The statement of the riddle should preclude the impossibility of any runner getting lapped.
An Olympic track is 400m; you can't lap someone if the race is only 200m.
Good taser.
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