At work we somehow landed on the topic of how many holes a human has, which then evolved into a heated discussion on the classic question of how many holes does a straw have.

I think it's two, but some people are convinced that it's one, which I just don't understand. What are your thoughts?

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[–] 39 points 3 years ago (7 children)

how many holes does a donut have? one. a straw is just a tall plastic donut.

two holes... smdh... kids these days

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  • [+] -6 points 3 years ago (6 children)

    What if you tie a knot in the straw? Still one?

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  • [–] 7 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    Just copying my response to another comment asking the same:

    That doesn't change the topology though. Or at least you can't without it no longer being a straw.

    A straw is the product of a circle and an interval. Either the knot doesn't fully seal the interval, meaning it's topology is maintained, or you completely seal the straw, changing it from 1 long interval to 2 separate intervals, changing the object entirely.

    In this situation, the straw would not be completely sealed. It is clearly inefficient, but technically there exists a path for which there is a level of force that could applied that would make the straw function.

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  • [–] -5 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    Just tried it... I can't suck liquid through.

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