The pot is constructed as a vertical stack of polygonal rings. This property sets the number of rings in the pot. It's a tradeoff between smoothness and performance: the more rings there are, the smoother the pot's surface is, but the longer it takes to render the pot. Too few rings gives the pot a jagged, faceted appearance; excessive values make the application sluggish. The default value of 100 is a reasonable starting point.
The Rings and Sides properties together determine the total number of facets, which is approximately Rings × Sides × 4. The exact number can be displayed via Mesh Information.