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14th Aug 2022

Straw poll divides opinion

Jack Peat

Is it one, two or none? You decide 

A YouGov poll has divided opinion on social media after pollsters set out to answer one of the most schismatic questions of our times.

Ranked alongside the ‘chicken or the egg’ conundrum, the debate over how many holes there are in a straw has long split opinion.

Some say there is obviously one, which is a theory backed by German mathematician Bernhard Riemann.

In his view, because a straw can be cut only once — from end to end — it can only have exactly one hole. If the surface does not have a boundary, like a torus, the first cut must begin and end at the same point.

But others say it clearly has two holes- one at each end, which are clearly visible when you look it its shape.

The question, which has been fiercely debated over the years, returned an incredibly close result when put out by YouGov, with 46 per cent saying there is one hole and 47 per cent saying there is two.

The survery of almost 6,000 Americans found just 7 per cent didn’t have an opinion on the matter, with people quick to crack the obvious ‘straw poll’ jokes.

One person threw out a third answer, saying there are actually no holes in a straw.

The man, who goes by ‘Richard’ on social media, said a straw is “simply a sheet of plastic (no holes) folded into a cylinder”, so no holes have actually been created.

Others made some saliant points that might change your thinking.

Be sure to consider all before making your mind up!

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