For centuries, fans have been used for cooling. Especially in the warm regions the fans are indispensable from the street scene. But the fan is also making its appearance in the traditionally cooler countries such as Northern Europe. But are they effective?
Hand fans provide cooling and evaporation.
Fans cool down your skin when the temperature around you is slightly lower than that of your skin. And that is usually the case, because your skin heat is normally around 35 degrees Celsius (95 F). By gently flapping, the cooler steamers glide along your face. But most of all, they help evaporate those – oh-so-annoying – beads of sweat on your face.
Technically: calculations show that at an air temperature of 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) and a humidity of 50 % and an evaporation rate of 0.01 milliliters per second, the cooling effect is about 30 watts. But of course, we still need to move our arms. The energy used for waving is around 10 to 15 watts. So, on balance, we have a positive return! So, unless it's very hot and very humid, a hand fan contributes to cooling.
Fresh air around you
With a fan, you can easily remove unpleasant odors. Especially useful in places where many people gather, such as in theaters and cinemas. With a fan, you can quickly wave away smoke, bad perfume scents, sweat and popcorn smells.
To hide yourself
Want to become a bit unrecognizable? Don't want to be photographed? The fan is an excellent tool to hide yourself (and your emotions) behind. Not too long, of course, because that's not very elegant when you have company.
Communicating with a fan
Did you know that there is an old language based on the movements you make with a fan? A kind of sign language. Once you master this language first it will of course only make sense if the recipient also understands it. But if we're all going to practice, we should be fine. To get started a first lesson: Touch your lips with a semi-closed fan. What you're saying? Kiss me!
