On a very hot summer's day, I was on my porch using an electric fan and I noticed that the air it blew had different temperatures. As you move away from the center and towards the outer border, I noticed that the air felt cooler; so that is I positioned the fan directly in front of me, the air would be hotter than if I placed it at an angle? I know it is not because of the motor because it was cool. Why?
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1$\begingroup$ What do you find if you measure the temperature with a thermometer? $\endgroup$– mmesser314Commented Jun 6 at 19:12
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$\begingroup$ Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking. $\endgroup$– Community BotCommented Jun 6 at 19:18
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2$\begingroup$ My guess is the different feeling of cooling is just because the air velocity is different. Unless you can measure the temperature with a thermometer it's impossible to say if the temperature really does change with angle. $\endgroup$– John RennieCommented Jun 6 at 19:21
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1 Answer
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The air temperature is probably not different. (Well, maybe very slightly due to the motor resistance heating losses, or other reasons for variations). It's probably the forced convective cooling of the air moving faster over the surface of your skin away from the center of the fan than towards the center that makes your skin feel cooler. You've probably heard the term "wind chill factor".
Hope this helps.
