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Q:

If fans are propellers, why don't household fans lift off or move forward?

A:

Since ceilling fans are held in place - as well as other kinds of standing fans, they all have a base - they can't move. Their propellers are strong enought to create a flow through the air, but not strong enough to move them forward, or up. Remove their base while spinning, and they may move forward or up, but they would not do so for long, as they simply were not built to fly.

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