OK, so four years ago (more or less) we kicked around the age old answer to the ‘How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll’ question…
Earlier today Lady Chance says “I always wondered about that. I betcha you can ask the Dopers. They’ll know.”
Sadly, it appears the state of the Dope-Art on the subject hasn’t publicly advanced since October 1999.
Anyone have any further information on the topic? How many does it take, anyway?
I don’t lick such things. I just leave them in my mouth until they dissolve, basically. I see that some people in the old thread agree.
Anyway, I’d like to formally request that this be moved to MPSIMS, but that’s just me.
BTW, please don’t bump old threads, everyone!
The Tootsie website has this to say, in part:
[quote]
We are aware of three studies that have been conducted. Each group contacted us to inform us of the results of their experiments:
[ul]
[li]A group of engineering students from Purdue University recorded that their licking machine, modeled after a human tongue, took an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. They tried the same licking test on 20 volunteers and found that the average licks to the center were 252 licks.[/li]
[li]A chemical engineering doctorate student from the University of Michigan recorded that his licking machine required an average of 411 licks per Tootsie Pop.[/li]
[li]A group of students at Swathmore School used human lickers in a scientific experiment and determined it took an average of 144 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.[/ul][/li][/quote]
TOOTSIE ROLL POP
LICK-O-METER
Keychain
This thing has microchips… batteries… circuits… and an LCD screen. All of this just to tell you how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.
He didn’t bump an old thread, he started a new one, which is what you’re supposed to do when you see something in an old thread that you want to discuss further.
You don’t suppose he was warning people from bumping the linked thread in the OP, do you? No, of course not.
Well if I had supposed that, I wouldn’t have posted my reply, now would I?
Sorry I misread his intentions.
Hey, old one was in GQ, new one was in GQ.
But thanks for the info, folks!
Last time I tried it, it took 243. One lick I defined to be one drawing of the pop across the exposed portion of the tongue, and the tongue was withdrawn into the mouth (thereby re-moistening it) following each lick. The tootsie roll center was considered to be reached when I was able to distinguish the taste of chocolate in addition to artifical cherry flavored sugar candy.
All good, just as long as we don’t use owls as experimental animals.
This brings up a good point: How are we defining the center? Is it as Chronos said, and the center is when the chocolate flavor emerges? How much of the flavor? Does it have to be strong flavoring? Or are we defining it as the whole center having to be removed?