#2 Find out how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop

I’m sure you remember this commercial for tootsie pops. A boy asks a wise owl how many licks it takes to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop, and the owl sets out to count, but bites the tootsie pop when he gets to three licks. I’ve always wondered how many licks it would take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop.  However, like the owl, I was never patient enough to get to the center without biting into it. I decided that the year I was 30 was going to be the year I would overcome my impatience and lack of self control and answer this much pondered question for myself.

Many before me have tried to unlock the answer to this question as well. A study at Purdue University concluded that it took an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop using a "licking machine", while it took an average of 252 licks when tried by 20 volunteers. Yet another study by the University of Michigan concluded that it takes 411 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. A study by students at Swarthmore College concluded that it takes a median of 144 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. 

In my own personal study, I found that it takes approximately 620 licks to get to the center of a tootsie pop. Why are there so many different outcomes? Well, there are a lot of variables involved. What exactly qualifies as “getting to the center” of the tootsie pop. Does it just mean the tootsie roll center is visible? Does it mean the a large portion of it is uncovered? Another variable to consider is that the tootsie roll center can’t be in the very center of every tootsie pop….if the tootsie roll isn’t centered, there will be more candy to get through on one side than the other. It’s difficult to agree on a result if clear parameters are set, but I sought out to find an answer for myself anyway.

I started counting like the owl does in the commercial, “A-one, A-two-hoo, A-three…”. I quickly decided that was fun but would take too long. So, I counted the licks in groups of 20 and recorded them on a talley sheet. I licked until a good sized portion of the tootsie roll was exposed. The total was 620 licks. Question answered. Mystery unraveled. If only all of life’s questions were as easy, or as tasty, to answer…