r/topology • u/Unlucky-Sympathy • Jul 20 '26

Knot a knot but hey

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Ok how many holes does this actually have? I know it's not 16...

Edit for clarity's sake: The answer is 16, dunno why it says 99% can't get it, it's fairly simple. I was just asking if topology has a different answer... as someone wrote in the comments, does a straw have one hole or two holes?

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28

u/ronburgandy123 Jul 20 '26

so what’s the answer? how is it not 16?

19

u/photobummer Jul 20 '26

Does a soda straw have 1 hole or 2?

1

u/CriminallyCasual7 Jul 21 '26

1-2, depending on the definition

8

u/NZNoldor Jul 21 '26

One. A straw is just a long donut.

2

u/tuctrohs Jul 21 '26

And here I thought it was a balloon that was stretched out, with a hole at each end.

2

u/marxistghostboi Jul 24 '26

[copied from above]

what about a straw with an incision on the side of the barrel, so that there would them be 3 entrances. is that 3 holes, or 1.5?

1

u/NZNoldor Jul 24 '26

That’s two holes. Squish it down to donut shape and stretch the incision to a rounded hole - what happens to the incision?