trivia question?

[jasperson]

Why is it when two horses finish in a tie for first is it called a dead heat. I didn't know the answer to this until a friend sent me the answer. Clue only the horses finishing in a tie for first can truly be called a dead heat for any other position it is just a tie.:)
Jack

[Overlay]

According to Wikipedia:

"The terminology originally came from when horses used to race in matches consisting of heats, rather than single races, and the first horse winning two heats was declared the winner of the match. When the judges could not determine the first horse over the finish line, the heat was declared "dead," and did not count."

If the terminology does indeed properly apply only to horses finishing in a tie for first in a race (however else it may be used), I assume it was because it originated in the context of a two-horse match race.

Is that the answer that you had in mind?

[Overlay]

On second thought, I guess that the heat wouldn't have to have been limited to only two horses, so strike that part of my response.

[Greyfox]

Yes. I know dead heats are declared because our technology doesn't allow us to see who is ahead and who is behind.
In reality though if we had better measuring ability, how often do you think that dead heats really occur? I would say hardly ever.

[DJofSD]

Right -- dead heat means it does not count towards determining the winner in a series of multiple races to see who has the best/fastest horse.

[jasperson]

That is the answer. It is amazing how we can use a term such as this and never question the derivation of it
Jack