How do boomerangs fly

The Aborigines would set up nets in trees and then throw the boomerang into the air while making a hawk call. This would scare flocks of birds so they would fly down into the nets. The boomerang is actually the first man-made flying machine, and so it is the direct predecessor of the airplane , helicopter , blimp -- even the space shuttle!

It's amazing that a hunk of wood can make such effective use of complex principles of physics -- so amazing that it really seems like magic until you understand what's happening. The boomerang is a great learning tool for anyone interested in physics, and it is certainly one of the most remarkable toys in history!

Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. How Boomerangs Work. Contents Why Does It Fly? Why Does It Come Back? How Do I Throw One? How Was It Invented? Why Does It Fly? The leading edges of the two wings face in the same direction, like the blades of a propeller.

We know that the boomerang is affected by: The force of gravity The force caused by the propeller motion The force of your throw The force caused by the uneven speed of the wings The force of any wind in the area. Hold the boomerang with the V-point, called the elbow , pointing toward you, and with the flat side facing out.

Hold the boomerang at the end of the bottom wing, with a light pinch-like grip. This boomerang is designed for a right-handed person -- when you hold it correctly with your right hand, the curved edge is on the left and the top wing's leading edge is facing away from you. It probably won't travel back to you if you throw it with your left hand.

If you are left-handed, make sure you get a left-handed boomerang -- one that is a mirror image of the boomerang in this illustration. Colorado Boomerangs sells a variety of boomerang styles, and the company says that every model is available in a left-handed version. If you are throwing with your left hand, hold the boomerang so that it is tilted to the left, with the curved side facing to the right. A right-handed boomerang will travel in a counter-clockwise circle and a left-handed boomerang will travel in a clockwise circle.

To keep the wind from forcing the boomerang off course, you should aim the boomerang at a point about 45 to 50 degrees to one side from the direction of the wind stand facing the wind and rotate about 45 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise. Adjust the position of the boomerang depending on how much wind there is. When you have set your grip on the boomerang and you have oriented yourself in relation to the wind, bring the boomerang back behind you and snap it forward as if you were throwing a baseball.

It is very important to snap your wrist as you release the boomerang so that it has a good spin to it. Spin is the most important thing in a boomerang throw -- it's what makes the boomerang travel in a curved path. When you throw the boomerang vertically, the uneven force on the top of the spin tilts the axis down gradually, so it should come back to you lying down horizontally, as a Frisbee would.

But don't try to catch it with one hand -- the spinning blades could really hurt you. The safe way to catch a returning boomerang is to clap it between your two hands. Always be careful when playing with a boomerang, especially a heavier model. When you throw the boomerang, you must keep your eye on it at all times or it could hit you on the return. If you lose track of its path, duck and cover your head rather than trying to figure out where it is.

Did you like the funny joke that a "stick" is what you call a boomerang that doesn't come back, Kassy? It made us laugh! Thanks so much for leaving us a comment today and letting us know you thought today's Wonder was cool!

Happy Thursday, Sydney! Thanks so much for sharing what you think about boomerangs! Thanks for sharing your opinion about today's Wonder, Devan! We appreciate your comment and hope you have fun learning in Wonderopolis today! Hi, Drake! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about boomerangs!

Thanks for sharing about your boomerang experience, Cassidy! We thought it might be easy to learn to throw, but after seeing the video for today's Wonder, and hearing about your experience, we know it's going to take some practice and patience! We're up for the challenge, though, and we hope you are, too! Way to go, Rahul! We'll all have to return like a boomerang We can't wait! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience.

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We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Do boomerangs always come back? What are boomerangs used for? How old are boomerangs? Wonder What's Next? Try It Out Ready to make your own boomerang? Did you get it? Test your knowledge.

What are you wondering? Wonder Words boomerang weapon mammoth tusk returning leisure sheer decoy unbalanced aerodynamic elliptical composite Take the Wonder Word Challenge. Join the Discussion. Gabriel Dec 17, Jan 23, I had a boomerang that never came back. I found it in the third house from me!!!! Johnny B. Good Jan 31, May 11, We're glad you found it, emily! Thanks for sharing your connection! C Jan 29, This was pretty interesting.

I would like to look at videos of boomerang competitions. Dana Apr 7, Apr 8, Thanks for sharing, Dana! Jan 31, Hi, M. That would be interesting! We encourage you to keep researching this topic! May 16, Weyhrauch's Class May 23, We really liked the boomerang joke and the movie was really cool and awesome. We really liked the way you speak, your accent is fun! Why didn't the boomerang come directly back to the person who threw it?

We want to have our own boomerangs now to throw around here. How come you have to throw the boomerang at a certain angle? Thanks for sharing the wonder! Wonderopolis May 23, Amith Apr 10, That was awesome even though you guys weren't able to get it back. Wonderopolis Apr 10, Thanks for sharing your comment, Amith! We Wonder if you have ever tried a boomerang?! Ryk Feb 20, Hey wonderopolis it's me again. Just wanted to browse the website and all its wonders.

Wonderopolis Feb 20, Wow I thought that was pretty cool. My dog chewed up my boomerang. Wonderopolis Feb 15, Ryk Feb 10, I have not been able to test it yet. I am sure that it would come back.

Wonderopolis Feb 11, Awesome, Ryk! Keep us posted-- we think boomerangs are one of the coolest things around! Ryk Feb 6, Hello wonderopolis I was looking and you guys don't seem to have that many visitors so I decided that I would come on every few days and keep in touch.

Wonderopolis Feb 6, I have a boomerang that my dad got for me when he went to Australia for a trip. It is really cool and it's actually made of wood. That was awesome thank you for telling me that.

Wonderopolis Nov 6, The main theme of the article is that some boomerangs are called a stick. Wonderopolis Jun 4, Wonderopolis May 21, Wonderopolis May 10, Coooooooooooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllll movie!!!!!!!!!!! Wonderopolis Apr 30, Jasmine Robinson Apr 27, At fist I didn't think that boomerangs came back and now they do.

Wonderopolis Apr 27, I really love boomerangs. I learned in this article that boomerangs don't always come back. I thought that boomerangs always did come back. I also learned that the first boomerangs were made thousands of years ago. I learned 2 words. Yet explaining the intricacies of the boomerang's behaviour in everyday language has proved difficult.

The vital boomerang attributes: convex top surface, distinctive curve, thin body and wide surface area are essential to the boomerang's aerodynamic properties.

With these features in place the boomerang stands out as a rare example of a non-ballistic missile. Most missiles, such as throwing clubs, spears or stones, are ballistic. So are arrows, mortars, artillery shells and a wide range of rockets. That is, they travel in an upwards arc and then come down again. This means ballistic missiles must be thrust upwards, travelling in a vertically curved path. If a spear was thrown parallel to the ground it would be soon brought down by gravity.

The time allowed for its flight on a parallel path is roughly equivalent to the time needed for its free fall, as if dropped. So, if not for its ballistic path, the spear would barely stay more than two seconds in the air, not nearly enough to travel, as it does, about seventy metres. Protip: To really make a boomerang soar, hold it vertically and give it a good spin—and be careful where you aim! Plus, it's 70 percent similar in it parts to a Chevy Colorado ZR2 pickup.

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