When does the chewy middle show, and does the hard shell wear evenly?

Research question: At what point during licking does the chewy center first become exposed, and does the hard shell wear away evenly as saliva softens it?

The records show that an average Tootsie Pop takes about 419 licks to reach the center, a figure that matched an earlier researcher's count of 417 ². The NYU mathematicians computed the licks needed to dissolve one centimeter of hard candy using a formula for how flows cause dissolving, such as saliva on a Tootsie Pop ¹. The available facts do not say at what point during licking the chewy center first becomes exposed, or whether the shell wears away evenly ¹². The newest fact is from April 2015, roughly eleven years before the current date of October 2026 ².

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