You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in?

There are many ways to answer this. First, if you imagine the second person and the first person running in front of you, you get the idea that you belong to the third spot, and overtaking that second person lands you the same position. On the other hand, if you're not apt to using visualization techniques, a simple logic would do: wait for the finish line!

In the first place, I never race, unless it's camel-racing, but I think you are talking about a foot-race. Dare I say?

I think this is what you call a 'logic puzzle'. Am I wrong?

So there is a trick to it.

Correct?

What's the trick? Obviously if you are in a race and you overtake the other person, you are assuming you are racing against another 'person'. But, let's pause and examine this more closely.

Pass me my magnifying glass...a yes...ah well...now I see! There is some mustard on my tie from the hotdog I had for lunch--those magnifying glasses are great for discovering things like that.

But as to the "puzzle". Let us get back to that. Let us not be distracted from this mental-challenge posed to titillate our little 'grey cells'.

So here's the situation. You have me. You have you. We are racing. But wait, who shot the 'starter's gun'?

There MUST be a third person!

Ah ha! Now I we are getting somewhere.

The mysterious third person. Who is he? Or she? He has a starter's pistol, we know that!

Perhaps they use it to shoot you so that I win the race. They will if I pay them enough. In which case, when I overtake you I am doing it "over your dead body".

So I win. Where's my winners' purse?

What was the question, anyway...

Sorry, lindagoffigan, but wandererh is correct - passing the person in second place only puts you in second place. You have to pass whoever is in first place to be in first pace...but I like the Answer MAn's answer best lol

Much as I would like to say that I am in first place, but I would just be in second place. :)

I believe the correct logic in wording would be "replace." You overtake, which in this case means replace, putting you in second place. Yes?

There are actually two answers, first your position is in front of the second person since you overtook him, not saying what place you are in. Second position would be in a runner's motion.

Overtaking the second person in the race puts you in first place.