Pringles Were Designed by IBM Supercomputers, Here's the Full Story

What do you think about when you think about Pringles? A mustachioed man? Getting your hand stuck in the can? Putting the chips in your mouth to make a duck bill? How about IBM supercomputers?

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Maybe you’re intimately familiar with IBM’s deep history in tech and commanding Fortune 500 presence, or maybe you only appreciate IBM for a chuckle because you read it as an announcement that you’re having a bowel movement. But, if you’ve had Pringles, you’ve reaped what IBM has sown. They’ve also been instrumental in developing the computers that we rely on today and stuff like that, but we’re snack-minded people.

What does IBM have to do with Pringles?

No true snack connoisseur would ever confuse Pringles with a standard potato chip. Although popping open a can of Pringles means you miss out on the beauty of a folded chip, what you get in return is consistency: little potato soldiers at attention, each one identical in shape. And that shape is no accident! The iconic saddle was designed by IBM supercomputers over two years following Pringles’ introduction in the late 1960s .

About the Pringles shape

The shape has one axis of symmetry and a minimax point at the center where the surface is steep in one direction and flat in the other. It’s known technically as a hyperbolic paraboloid, and colloquially as a “tater swoosh.”

Why are Pringles shaped like that?

Does it seem a little over-the-top to sink so many resources, and task the greatest minds in engineering with perfecting the potato crisp? From a personal standpoint, nothing is too important for a perfect snack and how dare you question the commitment to the craft. From a business standpoint, the Pringles’ shape is a brilliant move. The intersecting double curvature prevents an otherwise naturally occurring line of stress, so the chips are less likely to break. The sturdiness means the containers don’t need to be filled with air, like competing brands.

So, next time you’re perusing snacks, pop over to the greeting card aisle and pick up a “thank you” note for your friendly neighborhood engineer. You never know what they’ve sunk hours into optimizing for you.

About the Author

Hebba Gouda is a freelance contributor to Sporked who will die on the hill that a hot dog is not a sandwich. She’s proud to spend weekends falling asleep at 9 p.m. listening to podcasts, always uses the Oxford comma, and has been described as “the only person who actually likes New Jersey.” She’d love to know how on earth she somehow always has dirty dishes, if donkeys hear better than horses, and how the heck you’re doing today? Hopefully swell - thanks for reading!