Why is it bad to run the air conditioning constantly rather than intermittently for the same amount of time?

I have heard that it is undesireable to run the air conditioning unit, say for example, for 4 hours straight, rather than running the unit for 4 hours over a greater length of time with breaks in between. Is this true, and if so, why? Is it more cost effective to run the A/C this way?

Why is it bad to run the air conditioning constantly rather than intermittently for the same amount of time?
The easiest method on the equipment is to maintain temperature rather than bringing an environment up to temperature.





In other words the equipment will keep a room at temperature much more efficient than getting that room to temperature.





So running the unit for four strait hours will be much more efficient than running it periodically for four hours.





Note: Air conditioning equipment not only cools the air in the room but also cools everything in the room including people.
Reply:I heard the opposite. I heard that you don't want your AC to cycle on and off since starting the compressor takes more energy than when it is running.
Reply:There is an evaprator in your funace that removes heat from the air and takes it outside (thats what an airconditioner does) If that evaporator stay cold for extended periods of time, the moisture in the air will freeze and cover the evaporator with ice. When this happens, air will not circulate and cool the house, if the house does not cool, the thermostat will keep the AC running, keeping the ice frozen....I'm sure you see the cycle. All you need to do is set your thernmostat at a reasonable temp and let it do the work.
Reply:Its not bad,the run time will depend on the air that your trying to condition,in fact,the longer your unit runs,the more humidity is removed and essentially thats what your tryin g to accomplish,a dry 80 degrees is much more comfortable that a saturated 70 degrees...........let it run