Question

Why ceiling fan rotates anticlockwise and table fan clockwise?

Answer 1

This is mainly because of the diversity in their working principles. Every fan needs a motor that allows rotational motion.

Taking into consideration the structure of a motor, there are two major parts - The motor itself and the armature. Out of these two parts, one part is always stationary while the other moves around it's axis allowing rotation of any object that is attached to it.

Ceiling fans have a stationary armature and the motor moves in the counter-clockwise direction. Since, the blades of the fan are attached to the motor, the ceiling fan rotates in an anti-clockwise direction.

It is exactly opposite for a table fan. The motor is stationary and the armature moves to give motion to the fan blades. Because of Newton's 3

law of motion that states - "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.", the stationary motor gives the armature a push in the opposite direction. This causes the blades of the table fan that are attached to the armature, to move in clockwise direction.

Answer 2

Ceiling fan and table fan

Explanation:

A fan works due to the presence of a motor that allows rotational motion. A fan's motor consists of a stationary part and a moving part that is capable of rotating on an axis.  

In a ceiling fan, the armature is stationary and the blades are the moving part. When the motor is on, the blades of the ceiling fan rotate in anti-clockwise direction.

A table fan is different. Here the armature is the movable blades and the motor is stationary. So when the motor is on, the armature moves with the movement of the blades. The stationary motor makes the blade move in the opposite direction. So the blades of the table fan or the armature rotate in the clockwise direction.