So I saw this http://cheezburger.com/4659973/internet ... ole-or-two and started wondering how many holes does a straw really have. The thing is... all the answers have fairly decent arguments.
Zero holes
You could argue that straw has no holes in the sense that there is no gap or break in the structure of the straw. It is merely a curved surface that is not solid. If it were solid it would a pole and a pole with a hole extending through its length would be a straw. So if the hole comes from the solid object to create the straw then the straw does not have a hole.
One hole
Alternatively if one starts with a filled two dimensional circle then if you remove the interior and keep only the outline then there is a hole in your circle. If you now extend the outline of the circle in the third dimension, you are not creating new holes although at a certain length you would be happy to call it a straw. Looking at it that way, a straw only has a single hole that runs through it. This would match common usage of the term where if you shot through a flat (yet still three dimensional surface) like a board of wood, you would say that the bullet made one hole. If the bullet makes one hole passing through the object then surely that object could be extended indefinitely without creating new holes.
Two holes
But you can also make a good argument for two holes. There are two open ends to a straw and they are both holes. If you block one hole then there is still another open hole. If you can block one hole while the other hole is open then you cannot really claim that they are the same hole or it would be both blocked and open at the same time.
Of course all three arguments use hole in a different sense; either a discontinuity in the structure, a gap in a surface regardless of the thickness of that surface or an opening that leads into or out of a three dimensional space. So is there a clinching argument for any particular version?
How many holes does a straw have?
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How many holes does a straw have?
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Re: How many holes does a straw have?
Back when I was in high school, straws were used as a secret sex signal. Is that still a thing?
Re: How many holes does a straw have?
This thread would give a topologist an aneurysm.
Re: How many holes does a straw have?
A straw is technically a cylinder in the form of a round solid rod. Therefore one "hole" commonly referred to as the bore
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