how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? – Mr.Owl

This question has been researched thoroughly by parties ranging from high school students to engineering doctorate students. Interestingly enough, results vary drastically. A licking machine (oh yeah, a licking machine!) developed at Purdue University took an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. At the same institution, 20 individuals conducted the same experiment and averaged 252 licks to complete the task. Another licking machine, developed at the University of Michigan required 411 licks to reach the center of a Tootsie Pop; and a group of high school students from Swarthmore Schools averaged 144 licks to achieve the goal So, to answer your question: Getting to the center of a Tootsie Pop takes between 144 to 411 licks, depending on whether you are a teenager or a licking machine.

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.