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Re: [Phys-l] Marylin vos Savant again!



I don't think the answer is wrong as such. After all convection ovens are
supposed to cook more quickly by circulating the air. But she did miss or
ignored the questioner's misconception. If you sweat enough, and there is a
breeze 102 can be tolerated, and a fan might help. But if the relative
humidity is 99%, your natural cooling won't work. So she should have
explained that a fan can cool you at 102 when you are sweating and the
humidity is not too high.

The particular questioner may have a problem with an inability to sweat
properly, or they may be dehydrated. My solution would be to increase fluid
intake as to increase sweating. Misting may be good in dry climates as it
simulates a swamp cooler.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX



Marylin vos Savant was recently asked:

"I understand why using a fan on the back porch, where the
temperature is 102, won't cool me off, because the air is
warmer than I am. But why does sitting in front of the fan
make me feel hotter than not using a fan at all?
I can't wrap my brain around this!".

Marylin replied:

"Sitting right in front of a fan, especially when it's turned
up all the way, may cause your skin moisture (a.k.a. sweat!)
to dry up, taking away your body's main means of cooling
itself. When the temperature is dangerously high and there's
no air-conditioning, spending long periods of time in front
of a fan can be risky unless you mist yourself frequently. If
your skin gets blown dry, you could develop heat
exhaustion-or worse, heatstroke."