Mechanically, a fan can be any rotating vane or vanes used for producing currents of air. Fans produce air flows with high volume and low pressure, as opposed to a gas compressor which creates high pressures at a comparatively low volume. A fan blade will often rotate when exposed to an air stream, and devices that take advantage of this, such as anemometers and wind turbines often have designs alike to that of a fan.
Typical applications contain climate control, cooling systems, personal comfort (e.g., an electric table fan), ventilation (e.g., an exhaust fan), winnowing (e.g., separating chaff of cereal grains), removing dust (e.g. sucking as in a vacuum cleaner), drying (usually in addition to heat) and to provide draft for a fire. It is also general to use electric fans as air fresheners, by attaching fabric softener sheets to the protective housing. This causes the fragrance to be carried into the immediate air.
In addition to their utilitarian function, vintage or antique fans, and in exacting electric fans manufactured from the late 1800s through the 1950s, have become a recognized collectible category, and in the U.S.A. an active collector club, the Antique Fan Collectors Association, supports the hobby.
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