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I am buying some potato chips. I want to use dip. But half the time I do my chips in the dip, they break apart.

Do wavy chips, with the wider bends have a greater strength? Or do the rippled chips, with the tiny bends have more strength? I am trying to find the best chip when it comes to dipping without the chip breaking.

Clarification based on the answers: Are rippled chips stronger than wavy chips? I am not asking about standard chips.

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    $\begingroup$ The theory and existence of serpentine walls may be of some interest here. And even it not you should take the time so see a nice example somewhere as they are way cool. $\endgroup$ Dec 29, 2016 at 1:25
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    $\begingroup$ i honest to god just spent around 10 minutes looking at serpentine walls $\endgroup$
    – mochacat
    Dec 29, 2016 at 1:31
  • $\begingroup$ Since we seem to like wikipedia articles so much, you can also check out the page on corrugated galvanised iron $\endgroup$
    – Sigma
    Dec 29, 2016 at 1:35
  • $\begingroup$ Riged crisps are stronger because the ridges help to retain the flavouring :-) $\endgroup$
    – JMLCarter
    Dec 29, 2016 at 2:11

2 Answers 2

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Rippled potato chips are generally stronger. There's a reason why water bottles have grooves in them.

It's like trying to break a popsicle stick by applying a force parallel to its side or perpendicular to it. It is much stronger when you apply the force parallel to its side because there is more material on the relevant plane relative to the applied force to resist the combination of tension and compression.

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    $\begingroup$ I basically just said that rippled chips are better for dipping. $\endgroup$
    – Sigma
    Dec 29, 2016 at 1:36
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Yes they are. The reason is that their cross-section has a greater value of the second moment of area so they bend less easier. To give you a similar example ,try to google 'sheet metal roofing' and notice their formation.

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