Boomerangs

What is a boomerang?

A boomerang is an object that, after being thrown, returns to its point of origin due to its special profile and launch shape. Any material is valid to build a boomerang: wood, plastic, cardboard, carbon fiber, aluminum, etc.

How a boomerang works

They can take almost any shape and have to be launched so that they rotate on their own axis. The lift in the air is due to the shape of the blades, which, with a profile similar to that of the wings of an airplane, are "attacking" the air as the boomerang turns on itself and travels. The path of displacement is independent of linear speed and the speed at which it rotates on its own axis and is a constant in each boomerang. This happens because while the boomerang rotates on its own axis and advances, the blade that at that moment rotates in the direction of movement of the boomerang supports more than the one that at that moment rotates in the opposite direction to the advance, therefore a torque or gyroscopic precession in that sense.

Boomerangs can therefore have any number of blades. The blades do not have to be the same or the boomerang symmetrical; There are boomerangs shaped like a V, a W, with three blades, blades distributed like the blades of a helicopter, shaped like a kangaroo, a turtle, a fish, etc. Currently the sporting use of the boomerang is very widespread, there are international championships where, by modality, the way of catching it, the accuracy of the return, the flight time, the number of "catches" in a given time or the distance that moves away before returning, to give several examples.

History of the Boomerangs

Not all artifacts commonly called boomerang return to the launcher: those that were used for hunting by the Australian aborigines did not return and their name was not boomerang, but kylie.

The returning boomerangs were never used for hunting or warfare. The kylie stopped being used when other hunting arts such as bow and arrows were imposed.

Boomerangs are not unique to Australia; the oldest that has been dated so far was found in Poland in 1987 and is over 20.000 years old. They have been found on the five continents, there were even them in the tomb of Tutankhamun, more than three thousand years ago.

The main use given to boomerangs in ancient Egypt was as a handgun.

How to make a paper boomerang

Three videos to teach how to make a mini paper boomerang.

Very simple, but it works, although I have to warn that it is difficult to find a way to throw it back. Do not expect results like those of the wooden boomerangs or other commercials, but as a random game in a meeting or for children to play it is very good.

I achieved a range of about 30 - 40 cm. So you can try it to see if you can overcome it ;-)

I leave you several more videos, although with any of them it would be enough, since the activity is very simple to execute, although not so much to get the paper boomerang return to you.

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Boomerang Blueprints by Pierre Kutek

The following link is so influential in the world of boomerangs that I think it deserves a post to highlight it.

Those who start out like me, or are curious should take a look. Boom experts surely know it, but it is a common source of reference.

This is the website of Pierre Kütek where we can find a database of boomerangs plans with hundreds of available plans

boomerangs planes

Clearly The best compilation of shots of boomerangs that you can find on the internet.

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Boomerang with CD or DVD

They say that ignorance is very daring…. and proof of this is my attempt to build a boomerang with a cd, which turned out to be a complete failure.

But thanks to my namesake who has opened a blog, Boomeralia highly recommended, we can see the plans and a prototype of a boomerang with CD

And I take the right to play the CD / DVD

It is a Stanislaus boom, I still don't know who he is and who I would like some reference to

boomerang with cd

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Building a boomerang 1

I have long wanted make my own boomerang. There are websites with detailed plans and explanations on the materials to be used and the way of construction.

But as always, I had to prove what I had put into my head, and experience although many people had advised against it.

I was not going to publish this post, but how errors also depend, here is the attempt to build a white-tailed boomerang.

The idea is very simple. I have a boomerang, I make a mold from it and then I just fill it with white glue.

clay and wooden boomerang

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How to throw a boomerang

Although in this blog the contents are original or with our addition, we make an exception to post this article on how to throw a boomerang that I think is essential for all those who want to start in this hobby / sport.

Here it goes….

Article and photos taken from boomeralia. from where they allow the reproduction of the article.

Grabbed as you like as long as the flat part is on the outside. It does not matter the shovel, whether it is with two fingers or with the whole hand. You have to be able to

  • Push it forward very hard
  • Give it enough rotation, the most important and difficult thing is to print it rotation

We will grab the boomerang as we want, as long as the flat part is on the outside and the curved part is the closest to our face. Any grip we make works as long as we give it enough strength. The boomerang is caught by the convex part towards the shooter. The flat part always outwards. This sketch is a right-handed

how to throw a boomerang
THE ANGLE OF THE WIND

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Building and flying a boomerang

Lets try build a boomerangAlthough basic, it has a perfect flight and will teach us things about aerodynamics that we can apply to other projects.
What is a boomerang? Basically it is a wing that due to its shape, its profile and the type of launch we do, we get it to fly and return to us. Why is this happening? By adequately modeling the wing profiles, we were able to generate low pressure in the upper part and higher in the lower part, thus creating what is called the lift effect "it is as if we changed the behavior of gravity". All these issues will be better dealt with. in another article that could be called Why do planes fly?

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