text: A description of the structure of reticulated foams is still being developed. While Plateau's laws, the rules governing the shape of soap films in foams were developed in the 19th century, a mathematical description of the structure is still debated. The computer-generated Weaire–Phelan structure is the most recent. In a reticulated foam only the edges of the polyhedra remain; the faces are missing. In commercial reticulated foam, up to 98% of the faces are removed. The dodecahedron is sometimes given as the basic unit for these foams, but the most representative shape is a polyhedron with 13 faces. Cell size and cell size distribution are critical parameters for most applications. Porosity is typically 95%, but can be as high as 98%. Reticulation affects many of the physical properties of a foam. Typically resistance to compression is decreased while tensile properties like elongation and resistance to tearing are increased.