Why are boomerangs curved

Traditional boomerangs have two wings, but modern boomerangs are made with three and four wings. The additional wings give the boomerang more airfoil space and the more airfoil space the easier it is to return, says Dana Larabee, vice president of Boomerangs. Hunting boomerangs have been used for thousands of years, says Saulius Pakanlis, an engineer who wrote his doctoral thesis on the physics and history of boomerangs.

Australian Aboriginal boomerangs have been found that are as old as 10, years. Non-returning boomerangs have been found all over the world. The oldest known non-returning boomerang, found in Poland, dates from about 20, years ago, writes Pakanlis. A hunting boomerang is made from a long, heavy piece of wood. When hunters throw their boomerangs at prey, the heavy, blade-like weapon injures or kills the prey. Yet such a boomerang is possible, if not practicable.

The rotation centre of a straight stick is unstable; it tends to shift towards one end, which rapidly slows the rotation down. As well, a flat, straight object tends to rotate around its long axis, rapidly flipping over itself. Throw a ruler in a boomerang-like manner to see this effect in action. Or drop a straight strip of paper; it rolls as it falls to the ground.

The boomerang's curve prevents it from rolling, maximises its speed of rotation and ensures that its central point of rotation stays fixed in one place. The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands. Tutankhamen actually had a collection of returning and non-returning boomerangs. While there are numerous different ways to make a boomerang, traditionally, returning boomerangs are lightweight, made of wood, and consist of two separate wings which meet at an angle in the middle.

That middle section forms the central point around which the wings will be able to spin, stabilizing the flight pattern. So what makes a returning boomerang come back? Boomerang wings are fashioned much like airplane wings. They are flat on the bottom and precisely rounded on the top, which deflects the air such that there is less air pressure above than below.

In truth, the design of the wing manipulates the air such that the air molecules above get, essentially, stretched into a bigger volume, thus lowering the pressure above, while the air molecules below have the opposite happen, being slightly compressed, increasing the pressure below.

Hi there, Dallas! We're glad you think so, Jarmarius! Hi, Seeses Thanks so much for visiting Wonderopolis today! We're not sure if boomerangs were the only weapon used, but we bet there were some others! Thanks for visiting Wonderopolis!

Thanks so much for letting us know! Hello, Team Unger 3! There have been historical records of ancient boomerangs being found in different places all over the world, like Europe, Egypt and Australia! Thanks for sharing your comment with us today! Hello there, Saraya! We're glad you think Wonderopolis is cool We think it takes a lot of practice to learn to throw a boomerang in such a way that it will always come back to you. We encourage you to keep practicing with your boomerang! We found that boomerangs can be made out of more materials than just wood!

There are metal boomerangs and high-tech plastic boomerangs, too! Do you know what, Team McNeil 19? Thanks so much for visiting this Wonder today and for leaving us this cool comment to share some of the facts you learned about boomerangs! That's a fun guess about tomorrow's Wonder, Mrs. Thanks for sharing it with everyone in Wonderopolis today! We think there are probably some different ways to throw boomerangs and still have them come back you you, but we don't know what those different ways might be.

We liked learning about all the interesting uses for boomerangs, and we hope you did, too! You're right about that, Saad! That's OK, Halei! We think boomerangs are really neat, too, Annie! We really appreciate hearing that! We can't wait to find out what tomorrow's Wonder will be, Alice! We like your guess for what it might be about, too!

Hello, Team McNeil 13! We appreciate hearing that you enjoyed this Wonder and that you would like to explore more Wonders like this in the future!

We think it takes a LOT of practice to learn to throw a boomerang the correct way in order for it to come back. It is definitely a skill that has to be learned! Thanks so much for sharing the cool vocab words and facts you learned today, too! You sure learned some cool new facts about boomerangs today, Molly! Thank you for sharing them with us today, and thanks for letting us know about your own boomerang experience!

Are you guys ready, KF Dragons? That was FUN! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about today's Wonder, Emily and Evan! Thanks so much for sharing your boomerang story with us, Kelly! We really DID have a happy Thursday! Do you know why? It looks like you and Wonder Friend, Alyssa, sure like ponies, Jenna! We're not sure what tomorrow's Wonder will be about Ponies would be FUN to learn about, Alyssa!

Thanks for sharing this comment with us today You're right, E. We think the expert in the video for today's Wonder could probably get his boomerang to return more than the average person, though! He was super skilled at throwing a boomerang! That's a really super guess, Lima Bean Machine! We'll have to wait for tomorrow's Wonder to see if your guess was correct! We're super glad to hear that you thought today's Wonder was great, Sara! We hope you learned LOTS of cool new facts about boomerangs!

We think it's great that you shared a part of today's Wonder you thought was interesting, Borshay! Thanks for sharing your personal experience with boomerangs, Emily!

We appreciate hearing from you today! It would probably be worth a lot of money to a museum, but the cultural and historical value for society would be worth even MORE! Thanks for sharing your comment with us. We liked the facts and vocab words you picked to share!

Hi, Jelin! Thanks so much for letting us know you liked today's Wonder! We appreciate hearing from you! That sounds like so much FUN, Ms. Please let us know how your boomerangs fly and if they come back!

We think you guys ROCK for trying something new and learning more about how boomerangs work today! Thanks for sharing a cool fact you learned about boomerangs today, Emily! We invite you to go on a Wonder Journey of your own to find the answer to your question about how long boomerangs stay in the air!

We know there is a record for the world's longest boomerang throw, maybe there is one about the time a boomerang stayed in the air, too? WOW, Taylor! We're not sure about the answers to your questions We really liked reading it! Thanks for sharing it with us today, and thanks for letting us know you liked the boomerang video! We did, too! Thanks so much for asking! We really enjoyed hearing about your boomerang story!

Maybe you can practice learning to throw it outside sometime soon? Hi, Rey! When you do nice things for people, that kindness always seems to have a way of finding itself back to you Thanks for letting us know you liked the video for today's Wonder and that some of you even have boomerangs of your very own, Mr. We're glad you liked the stick joke, too!

It made us "LOL! What a neat way to think about throwing boomerangs, Monkey! It is a little like math we think math is super fun, too, by the way! We appreciate your comment today! We're proud of you guys for always trying to guess what the next Wonder will be 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.