How Does an Oscillating Fan Work?

The Motor

The oscillating fan is driven by an electronic motor. Electricity flows into coils, which surround the rotor. The rotor has a magnet inside of it. When electricity flows into one of the coils, it creates a magnetic field. This repels the electromagnet, pushing the rotor partway around in a circle. Electricity then flows into another coil on the opposite side, giving the rotor another push and completing the cycle.

Layout

In some oscillating fans, a single motor is mounted in the base. The motor has a shaft that comes out both the bottom and the top of it. The bottom shaft powers the oscillator, while the top spins the fan blade, driving air forward. Other oscillating fans use one motor directly behind the fan blades to spin the fan and another motor in the base to control the oscillation.

Oscillations

Most oscillating fans are mounted on a pivoting shaft with a fixed base. The motor turns an oscillating gearbox, which rotates the entire top half of the fan back and forth slowly as the motor turns. In other systems, the fan doesn't turn back and forth, but pivots up and down. This oscillation helps to keep the air moving in a room. If the fan is positioned in a corner facing outwards, the sweep of the fan will send a stream of air to pretty much every corner of the room as it turns.