History

Many people think the boomerang is a weapon. But, the real weapon used by Aborigines (Australian natives) was the killer-stick. The killer-stick is like the boomerang, but it does not return! The killer-stick could fly very far to strike an animal or enemy. The boomerang was made for a different use or reason.

The boomerang, is smaller and lighter than the killer-stick. It was used as a toy and for trapping birds. The boomerang would be thrown into the air. It had a curved wing shape. The hunter would make a sound like a hawk. The birds would see the boomerang and hear the sound. The birds would fly down to get away and the hunter would catch them in his net. The boomerang would return to the hunter.

Shape and Aerodynamics

The boomerang looks like a curved wing. The boomerang spins through the air like a frisbee or discus. The spinning helps keep it up in the air longer. As the boomerang spins it creates lift. As the spinning boomerang flies through the air it begins to turn in a wide circle. It returns to the thrower.

There is a force that turns the boomerang back to the thrower. To understand this think of riding a bicycle with "no hands". To make it turn you must lean to one side, as the wheels are turning. If you continued to lean you would ride in a circle.

When you throw a boomerang it is also spinning and leaning slightly to one side. The one difference is that the boomerang lays down flat in the air as it returns to the thrower.

Boomerangs come in many shapes: several wings coming together in the center or even look like letters of the alphabet. But, no matter what the shape, they all return to the thrower!