The consistent saddle shape is mathematically known as a hyperbolic paraboloid. Their designers reportedly used supercomputers to ensure that the chips' aerodynamics would keep them in place during packaging and that they would not break when being stacked on top of each other.
You're probably wondering about the double-curved shape of a Pringles chip, and what its technical mathematical name is. Wonder no longer. Your average, unsullied Pringle is a hyperbolic paraboloid; its equation is (x^2)/(a^2) - (y^2)/(b^2) = z/c.
Because Pringles aren't actually made with real potato—the recipe calls for dehydrated processed potato—the FDA ruled in 1975 that Pringles could only be called "chips" if they provided a disclaimer, identifying them as "potato chips made from dried potatoes." Pringles scrapped that idea and renamed them potato "crisps .
Turns out, Pringles aren't officially chips. Here's the complicated international saga. Savory, crispy and addictive, Pringles certainly seem to fit the description of potato chips. Turns out, though, Pringles aren't chips at all—they're crisps.
The consistent saddle shape is mathematically known as a hyperbolic paraboloid.
The manufacturers have designed them to be as moreish as possible and they contain a list of ingredients to get your taste buds salivating – mainly fat, salt and sugar – and even if you're not hungry the human brain is made to seek out fat and sugar hence the addictive nature of these crisps.
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