The Tootsie Roll Pop Problem, investigated.

Throughout the ages, the smartest minds on the planet have tackled the great questions of the world. Foremost upon these is the Tootsie Roll Pop Problem, which asks us: “How many licks does it take to get to the centre of a Tootsie Roll Pop?”. For British readers, the Tootsie Roll Pop is broadly equivalent to a chocolate-filled Chuppa-Chup. For illustration purposes (and I do use that term loosely), here is an attempt to address this question using an owl, a tortoise, and a gramophone.

Over to George Waksman, who has spent over two years and several dollars researching this problem. Formulating a strict methodology, Waksman has been making slow but steady progress discerning the true number of licks it takes to reach the centre of a Tootsie Roll Pop. His preliminary findings suggest that it takes approximately 248 licks if licking is concentrated on one side of the Tootsie Roll Pop. However, with such a small team and sample size, George has calculated a standard deviation of 170 licks, on which he admits:

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.

If you thought that George was battling alone in his quest to solve the Tootise Pop Roll Problem, think again. A brief web search uncovers a hive of activity dedicated to cracking this conundrum, including students at Purdue University who constructed a licking machine to aid the quest for knowledge, with mixed results.

These grassroots efforts may not have ended debate on the true number of licks it will take to reach the centre of a Tootsie Roll Pop, but it brings a swell of pride to my heart to see such democratic participation in science.

5 comments December 18th, 2006