Do you sometimes question why certain products are designed to look a certain way? Is it for reasons that are aesthetic or functional? You’d be surprised that every little detail in the product design has a purpose.
Take the humble plastic stools usually at roadside stalls, for example. It is designed to be durable, light and stackable so that it is convenient for both stall owners and customers to use them.
But have you ever thought of why there is a hole in the middle of the stool? No, it’s not for your farts to flow through.Ā
According to Goody Feed, the stool holes actually serve many interesting purposes.
1. They prevent the stool from breaking when you sit!
The holes in plastic stools are round and not square for a reason. It’s to maintain the structural integrity of the stool and to prevent it from breaking when you sit.
Source: polka dot socks
If it were a square or any other shape with angles, the force would be concentrated in those places and increase the risk of cracking. Circular holes, on the other hand, spread the force evenly.
2. For easy stacking
If there weren’t any holes, stacking the chairs would be impossible. Or rather, they’d be challenging to un-stack. The holes are meant to prevent a vacuum from building up and to relieve the air pressure when they are stacked, so un-stacking becomes easier.
Source: canvas of light
3. For your finger to go through
Yes. The hole serves an additional purpose of making carrying more comfortable.
But there’s also a catch there; make the hole too big, and the chair would lose its support. Make it too small, and your fingers cant squeeze through! Wow, imagine all the engineering that goes into those cheap plastic stools.
Source: goody feed
So today, you have learned something new! There are so many things to be learned from our surroundings. All you need to do is observe the tiny details, and surely you will discover interesting facts about them!
Also read: Two Form 5 Students Win First Place in US Competition for Inventing Larvicide to Combat Aedes
