07/10/2015

Lollipops Meet Lasers in This Lab

6:51 minutes

What do you get when you combine three mathematicians, lollipops, and lasers? You might end up with a paper called “Shape dynamics and scaling laws for a body dissolving in fluid flow.” Yes, this is real science. Science documentary producer Emily Driscoll stopped by the researchers’ Willy Wonka-like lab to see what lollipops can teach us about fluid dynamics. It’s the topic of her new video for The Macroscope, “The Lollipop Hypothesis.” Oh, and in case you’re wondering: We will get to that age-old question: “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?” We posed that question to you in our SciFri Lollipop Challenge.

Segment Guests

Emily Driscoll

Emily Driscoll is a science documentary producer in New York, New York. Her production company is BonSci Films.

Meet the Producer

About Christopher Intagliata

Christopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.

Explore More

Take the Science Friday Lollipop Challenge!

Test out how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, and report back.

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