On Aug 8, 12:13*pm, "Eisboch" wrote:
"Richard Casady" wrote in message

...

On Fri, 8 Aug 2008 08:10:49 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

I forget the mechanical stuff, but it takes something like 3
times the amount of power to get something in motion than it does to
maintain that motion.

Not exactly. It is true that if you are sliding something, it will
take more force, not power, to get it started than to maintain it in
motion at minimum speed. As for power, that is rate of doing work.
Work is force applied times distance moved.

Ok. Ok. *Lemmie try again.

At the "low" setting, the fan will temporarily draw more current to produce
the same power (watts) to get the stupid fan blade moving. *Since the
windings in these cheap fans are so wimpy to begin with, this ain't so good
over the long term.

Eisboch

Right, it's kind of like trying to get started with a restrictor
plate..