James May answers the question “Why do boomerangs come back?”.
Discover the scientific principles of the Boomerang with James May in the latest Head Squeeze Q & A video.
Not limited just to Aborigines in Australia, Boomerangs have been found all over the world – even in the tombs of Ancient Egypt. Did early hunter gatherers really use these to take our their opponents at long distance, or were they better suited to small prey like birds?
Boomerangs work by harnessing both gyroscopic and aerodynamic forces, much like helicopters and they must be thrown at a very specific angle to function properly.
The world record for a boomerang flight is an incredible six minutes.
