Science Says It Takes 2,500 Licks To Get To The Center Of A Tootsie Pop

Life presents us with quite a few big issues to think about: the meaning of existence, whether or not there's a deity and, of course, how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

Your day just got a little less stressful because a research team from New York University determined it takes about 2,500 licks to reach the papery, disgusting stick center of the 1.063-inch in diameter sphere.

In smaller candy pops, like a Dum Dum, it may even take as few as 1,000 licks to get to the center.

Lead author Leif Ristroph told Science Daily, although the subject matter is humorous, there's still real science being put to work, saying,

How flowing fluids generate unique shapes through erosion or dissolution is complex and fascinating.

The team's study, published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, used scientific theory to understand the way liquids cause solids to dissolve.

Take the wrapper off that Tootsie Pop and start counting, just to be sure the team is right.

You've only got 2,499 licks to go.

Citations: Science Finally Determines How Many Licks it Takes to Get to the Center of a Tootsie Pop (Time)