Why are so many cereals "O" shaped?

[imported_Nail]

It seems to be the single most used design. Is it just trend or is there a good reason for this?

 

[yelo333]

My guess is it makes it have more air while still being crunchy...

btw, a better place for this is probably off topic.

Quoted from the Highly Technical description on the main forums page:
...This forum is for those who are serious about hardware...

I don't think cereals are considered hardware...

 

[Gibsons]

Probably something to do with surface area:volume ratio. The donut shape provides a lot of surface area.

 

[imgod2u]

The optimal crunchiness comes from the O shape. You can make the material of the cerial very rough and hard, and yet, the thing will collapse because of a lack of structural integrity. Thereby, a lot of crunchiness.

This can be seen by the following equation:

Let crunchiness be c, surface area be a, structural integrity (based on the average of all arbitrary points on the surface and their respective sustainable force before collapse) be s:

c = integral(0,a) { 1/s }

As you can clearly see, if s is very small and a is very large, then crunchiness approaches infinity.

 

[imported_Nail]

That makes sense. They wouldn't make them star or stick shaped for fluidity.

Quoted from the Highly Technical description on the main forums page:
...This forum is for those who are serious about hardware...

Well, it certainly isn't software. :roll: I wanted to avoid trolls.

 

[imported_Pipeline]

The hole in the middle of the toroid allows milk to adhere via capillary action.

This provides the ideal cereal-to-milk ratio per "O" unit.

 

[Ogg]

Originally posted by: Pipeline
The hole in the middle of the toroid allows milk to adhere via capillary action.

This provides the ideal cereal-to-milk ratio per "O" unit.

*confirmed*

 

[Bassyhead]

Originally posted by: Ogg

Originally posted by: Pipeline
The hole in the middle of the toroid allows milk to adhere via capillary action.

This provides the ideal cereal-to-milk ratio per "O" unit.

*confirmed*

excellent explanation

 

[gsellis]

Gee, I was thinking that they are probably extruded and cut. Simplest shape would tend to a circle. Best way to get more volume with less weight and more even cooking is put a hole in the middle. I would not think that surface tension or capillary action would come into the equation. It is just a cereal and not a reusable (don't go there) mechanical device.

 

[BD2003]

Id think it has more to do not with maximizing milk adherity(?) or structural integrity, but to maximize projected area. More voluminous for less weight, and therefore cheaper, and yet the appearance of being more.

What is the deal with flakes though?

 

[gururu]

Originally posted by: gsellis
Gee, I was thinking that they are probably extruded and cut. Simplest shape would tend to a circle. .

It is true. It is easier for the raw material to slide through a cylinder unobstructed during processing. Also, the circular product is more resilient to cracking or chipping (no hard angles). The hole in the middle makes them easy to bite (they tend to cave in easier than solid shapes).

 

[wacki]

Originally posted by: imgod2u
The optimal crunchiness comes from the O shape. You can make the material of the cerial very rough and hard, and yet, the thing will collapse because of a lack of structural integrity. Thereby, a lot of crunchiness.

This can be seen by the following equation:

Let crunchiness be c, surface area be a, structural integrity (based on the average of all arbitrary points on the surface and their respective sustainable force before collapse) be s:

c = integral(0,a) { 1/s }

As you can clearly see, if s is very small and a is very large, then crunchiness approaches infinity.

The math behind crunchiness, this is something that I would never of expected to see.

 

[Falloutboy]

you guys are putting way to much thought into this

 

[Shimmishim]

this is one of the funniest threads i've seen in a while

thanks for the laughs

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Pipeline
The hole in the middle of the toroid allows milk to adhere via capillary action.

This provides the ideal cereal-to-milk ratio per "O" unit.

Toroid? Anybody know the mathematical description of a "donut?" Link? The locus of points equidistant from a circle, eh? Good place to start. Hold the sugar and grease for me, thanks...

Edit: Here's some math.

 

[SZLiao214]

Lol you guys were able to turn the shape of cereal into a highly technical topic.

 

[gsellis]

Yep, there has been too much double-think going on here lately.

The goal is to make cereal. I need to mix several ingredients, make a form, cook, package, and distribute it as a distinctive and pleasing product to a consumer. Therefore, I mix the ingredients. To process them into a form, I can use injection molding, extrusion molding, rolling, or poring into a mold. Then cut the result. I would definitely choose the 'o' if I were extruding it as other shapes may not hold the shape as well through the process, but that would depend on the material. I would guess that the charms in Lucky Charms are extruded and cut. That hard 'marshmellow' seems to hold a shape well. But notice next time that the shapes are fair, but not precise.

Jeez

 

[imported_Nail]

What is the deal with flakes though?

The grains are rolled to make them more chewable. Imagine eating uncooked popping corn.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

they do it so they can put less cereal in the box. Think about it, if it were solid like a ball or puff you would have to put a lot mre cereal in the box to fill it up.

 

[Atomicus]

Originally posted by: Pipeline
The hole in the middle of the toroid allows milk to adhere via capillary action.

This provides the ideal cereal-to-milk ratio per "O" unit.

Capillary action is drives water up a plant!

You mean cohesion/adhesion of the milk as a liquid.

 

[DrPizza]

Hmmmm.... IIRC, Kellogg developed cereal to help diminish people's sex drives. (he was also a nutcase of a psychologist or chiatrist... )

Perhaps the toroidal shape has some sort of an effect on people's sex drives??

(How's THAT for over-analyzing the shape of cereal?)

Or, perhaps it's reminiscent of the colon cleansing that Kellogg believed so highly in... (use your imagination.)

 

[PhoenixOrion]

i second pipeline's rationale.

 

[Smilin]

First they put a hole in it so they can get more volume while at the same time selling it by weight.

Second For some like cherios they just found it to be an attractive and easy to stamp shape when it first came out. For fruit loops it's so little kids won't choke on em.

Third it looks vaguely like a chicken butt hole and we all know how tasty those are from eating mcnuggets.

 

[Munkies123]

wtf lol were talking about fruit loops here not rocket science

 

[Ryoga]

Originally posted by: Atomicus
Capillary action is drives water up a plant!

You mean cohesion/adhesion of the milk as a liquid.

Six? Meet half-dozen. Half-dozen? Meet six.