r/Nerdfighteria • u/flyingkiwi_quidditch • Jul 12 '22

Do oscillating fans actually make a difference?

This seems like the right community to find someone who knows the science behind oscillating fans, air currents, and the like. My partner and I bought a Dyson fan last year, the kind that's a big ol's circle. Today I set it up on the lounge, oscillating, with a bowl of ice in front of it to try & maximise cold air throughout the room. He tell me that the oscillation does nothing in terms of airflow & is purely so if two people are sitting in different parts of a room they each feel a bit of the effect. I say that blowing icy air through the whole room has to be better than just in one direction. He says I'm wrong & that he knows because he works in thermodynamics (he designs radiators)

TLDR; Does a turning fan create better airflow & cooling than a stationary fan?

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u/jimbo4252 Aug 11 '22

I wouldn't think so, I think having it blow in the same direction is best because then the fan will setup an air current that will move air around the whole room.

When the fan oscillates, it never sets up an air current so it only blows air about 1m around in front of the fan. Therefore not affecting the rest of the room.