The number of licks it takes to get to the center of an average-size lollipop is approximately 1,000, according to an actual scientific study recently conducted by researchers at New York University and published in Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

While the researchers didn't exactly set out to count lollipop licks, they used lollipops and water to examine the way liquid flows over an object. Beyond candy land, this has practical implications for pharmacists to develop pills that dissolve and geologists who study the way rivers and streams carve different landscapes.

"Licking a lollipop can be viewed in exactly that way," explains study co-author Leif Ristroph, an assistant professor of mathematics at New York University's Courant Institute. "The tongue sweeps fluid (saliva) over the candy surface, and the fluid carries away the dissolved sugars."

With this in mind, Ristroph and his team calculated the rate at which candy dissolves and used the mathematical equation to estimate the number of licks it would take to dissolve a lollipop in your mouth: 1,000, which isn't far off from some of the estimates posted by online experimenters, according to Ristroph.

Of course even more extensive research would be required to derive a technique that makes candy last longer in your mouth. Until scientists tackle the issue, Ristroph has some tips: "Avoid biting into a lollipop," he suggests. And when licking? "Slower is better."

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Elizabeth Narins Senior fitness and health editor Elizabeth Narins is a Brooklyn, NY-based writer and a former senior editor at Cosmopolitan.com , where she wrote about fitness, health, and more.

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