How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie rool center of a tootsie pop?

Answer 1

ok.....20 licks....unless you bite it.....go ask Mr. Owl...

Answer 2

3

Answer 3

3

Answer 4

Tootsie Roll Pop: How Many Licks?

Since the invention of the Tootsie Roll Pop, many men (and women and owls) have asked the question, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?" Previous research seems to suggest that one can reach the center with three licks and a bite (ref: Mr. Owl), but this does not sufficiently answer the question. Ongoing research is being conducted, and preliminary results have been obtained, towards solving the problem.

Purpose
The purpose of the research that is being conducted is to systematically determine how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop.

Method
Materials
1 Tootsie Roll Pop
1 Person
Setup
Unwrap the Tootsie Roll Pop
Procedure
Lick* side** of the Tootsie Roll Pop
Rotate to other side** of Tootsie Roll Pop
Repeat from Step 1 until center is reached***
Record results
* - A lick is when your tongue is run across the Tootsie Rolls Pop; sucking is strictly prohibitted in this experiment. The tongue need not, necessarily, be retracted into the mouth between individual licks, though it has been found to be more pleasant for the experimenter with frequent tongue retraction.
** - Tootsie Roll Pops are shaped in a roughly saucer shape; the broader parts are being referred to as sides
*** - The center is determined to have been reached when licking yields the texture of Tootsie Roll, flavor of Tootsie Roll and the discoloration of Tootsie Roll is visible with reference to the candy portion. This eliminates false positives as a result of bubbles in the candy, oddly textured regions and seeing chocolate through candy

Data
Trial # Contributor Trial Date Color # Of Licks Trial Duration
1 George Waksman Blue 474
2 George Waksman Red 522
3 George Waksman Dark Red 233
4 George Waksman Orange 590
5 George Waksman Purple 765
6 George Waksman Brown 799 14m
7 George Waksman Dark Red 585 9m
8 George Waksman Blue 539 11m
9 George Waksman Dark Red 610
10 Rachel Dillon Blue 601
11 George Waksman Dark Red 595

Calculations
Minimum Licks
Since the obtained data represents the licking of both sides, the minimum number of licks for a given Tootsie Roll Pop is half (round up) the number of licks obtained in the trial

The data suggests that it takes approximately 574 licks to reach the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop when alternating the licking side. Since the procedure calls for equal licking of both sides of the Tootsie Roll Pop and completion is determined by core contact on either side, one could reach the core with fewer licks by focusing on only one side of the Tootsie Roll Pop. If one were to select the side closer to the core, it would theoretically require approximately 288 licks to reach the center.

The data also suggests a substantial variability in the number of licks required to reach the center, with a standard deviation of 149 licks for two sided licking and 75 for single side licking.

Error Sources
The small number of trials makes for a very large standard deviation. The standard deviation is so large, in fact, that it is not reasonable to assume the conclusions are accurate.

Further Research
More trials must be conducted to obtain more data points.

As other possible areas of research, one could look into the effects of tongue size, saliva production, tongue retraction and other variables on the number of licks necessary. The methods contained are easily adapted to further experimentaion.

Answer 5

Ask Mister Owl-3

Answer 6

funny i was just thinking about asking that but i thought i would get all kinds of sexual responses and i don't swing that way but for the benefit of people not bombarded by commercials watching cartoons on Sunday morning in the 1960s the wise old owl says 3 one two three crunch! lol

Answer 7

237

Answer 8

I may sound stupis but i tried and i got to the middle in 349 licks

Answer 9

It varies, it depends on how you lick it and who licks it. the person might have more saliva in there mouth then others wich makes a huge differences and you might lose your number you were on when you were counting.

Answer 10

A univiersity did a scientific study on that, I saw about it on the history channel, I'll have to do more search to tell you the exact number but it's a large one :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tootsie_Pops

Answer 11

Actually... my friend did it and counted too... like, one time 1000 something and another too 4000 something... so it depends on how hard you lick, and how good you are at it right?