Each individual wing, or airfoil, is shaped like an airplane wing and produces aerodynamic lift as it moves through the air. A more detailed physics explanation is possible of course, but this basic explanation will give you an idea how the boomerang works. The boomerang is a particularly significant, intriguing and. My boomerang wont come back goes the song about the disgraced australian aborigine. The r had units of cm, and was, i believe, an approximation based on the described dimensions of the model boomerang. This means that the aerodynamic lift is not uniform over all parts of the boomerang. The article first appeared in tes teacher magazine in november 2002. Science explained a boomerang requires a centripetal force to cause it to fly in a circular path back to the thrower. After studying the physics behind some of the worlds fastest runners, researchers came up with a new model they say could make anyone faster. A boomerang does funny things because it is in fact a gyroscope. Summaries are included at the end of each chapter, as. This gives much more detail on the mathematics and physics of the dynamics of the boomerang s motion. A group of about 20 students can work on this project.
Toss the boomerang vertically up in the air with a spin on it. A boomerang is an example of gyroscopic precession. It is a common feature of scientific literature to wish to explain the peculiar flight of the boomerang on the basis of a supposed gyroscopic effect, or as a result of the gyroscopic precession effect. If purchasing, however, make sure the seller is including the boomerang that is supposed to. Oct 18, 20 a trajectory of a boomerang particle in water, starting from the top of the image, with the blue line tracking the point where the arms meet and the red line tracking the center of hydrodynamic stress, a point along the axis bisecting the angle of the arms. Some significant findings are made regarding the radius of a boomerangs circular flight path, the required inclination angle of its axisofrotation. As described by bernoullis principle, this generates less pressure above the wing, creating upward lift. This device is simply amazing, and a wonderful application of some laws of physics relating to aerodynamic lift and angular momentum. The direction of spin should be toward the side that is tilted up. Almost all theoretical developments are linked to examples and data taken from experiment. At all times during the flight, one wing is turning into the oncoming air flow and the other wing is turning away from the oncoming air flow.
This section is one of the most advanced studies of boomerang science currently available. The axis of rotation will not rotate according to the applied torque, as one might expect, but will move in the direction of the torque vector. Then we are left with a net force that is parallel to the ground and can be thought of as a centripetal force. The parallel axis theorem was applied to find the moment of inertia of one vane about the center of of rotation of the boomerang as a whole. Build a boomerang page 2 popular woodworking magazine. This plane is tilted enough from the vertical enough to get enough lift to keep the boomerang airborne. It is intended for the middle or high school teacher. Physics of the cosmic microwave background anisotropy.
A returning boomerang is a specially crafted, lightweight piece of wood, plastic or other material. You can achieve this by making the boomerang larger the tip moves faster, and as an added bonus you increase the moment of inertia. The physics of flying discs 3 this means that at a point x, the body is moving with velocity v. The boomerang returns because the lift is asymmetrical. With a flick of the wrist, spin the boomerang as it leaves the hand. Despite the simple appearance of the boomerang, the characteristic returning flight is guided by a complex combination of physics and aerodynamics.
As a boomerang flies through the air, the spin of the boomerang causes the wings of the boomerang to travel at different speeds relative to the air. Many students have never used power tools and this was a great way to introduce their safe use. In astronomy and observational cosmology, the boomerang experiment balloon observations of millimetric extragalactic radiation and geophysics was an experiment which measured the cosmic microwave background radiation of a part of the sky during three suborbital highaltitude balloon flights. Department of physical sciencesand engineering prince georges community college largo, maryland. The cardboard should cover the area inside the boomerangs bend. You may find fidget spinners, or at least the attention theyre getting, annoying. Roller coaster ap physics abridged edition an abridged educational guide to roller coaster design and analysis this resource booklet goes with an final ap physics project. In our opinion these explanations lack a certain precision and do not correspond to a coherent. The result was multiplied by three to account for the three vanes. Now over years it had been developed as a recreational object. The flight of the boomerang ii article pdf available in journal of applied mathematics and physics 0207. When most of us think of boomerangs, we imagine somebody throwing a curved stick that eventually turns around and comes right back to the throwers hand. Well, thats not so bad a thing because boomerangs used for hunting kangaroos arent meant to come back they are heavy, hockeystickshaped throwing sticks that move in a confusingly wobbly path, and they are designed to break the legs or wings of any roo or bird they encounter.
Discuss the lift equation, why a boomerang generates lift and how these lift forces produce torque on a boomerang explain gyroscopic precession and why torque on a boomerang makes it turn estimate the characteristic radius of a boomerangs. The gyroscopic nature of a spinning boomerang and the release angle called the layover angle causes the boomerang s flight angle to flatten out as it turns. Making a boomerang return to you takes a lot of practice before you can actually make it return accurately. To prepare and to carry through a boomerang contest between students ensures a lot of fun. Physics of boomerang lift force rotation around a fixed axis. Im going to show you today how to make your own boomerang, how to throw it and even how to understand. These are not the whole notes it would take up too many pages, but should give you a basic understanding of the physics being used and ways to demonstrate or explain some of these. Journal of applied mathematics and physics, 2014, 2, 569580. The returning boomerang is most commonly two wings jointed at angle between 80 and 120, however, some newer boomerangs have more than two wings. Aug 20, 2015 it is this torque that makes the boomerang tilt and gradually return to the thrower. Return to science toys page return to real world physics problems home page.
This class includes the opportunity for students to use the personal response system prs. Flight dynamics of boomerang yong suk moon december 10, 2007 submitted as coursework for physis 210, stanford university, autumn 2007 fig. Nov 28, 2016 im new at this physics forum and i dont quite know anyone here. Kiwi boomerang nz naera, 1988 this might well be the case. The basic returning boomerang consists of two wings tilted with respect to each other and joined to form a unit. The physics of boomerangs lesson plan template and teaching resources. This learning video explores the mysterious physics behind boomerangs and other rapidly spinning objects. The physics of flying discs 5 inertia, the quantity we set out to. The researchers developed an equation that calculates two forces. Generates lift from curved upper surface of boomerang. Ithaca college department of physics and astronomy. Lift air passing over the curved top of a boomerangs airfoil at the leading edge of the wing is forced to go faster than air passing over the relatively flat underside. Discuss the lift equation, why a boomerang generates lift and how these lift forces produce torque on a. Effectively, they are two wings fashioned together into one piece, but you can find a number of different boomerang designs these days that may have three or more wings.
A new physics discovery could make you a faster runner. Apr 14, 2016 a popular science project for kids is to make a boomerang and use it to learn more about aerodynamics and physics. Boomerang torque and angular momentum physics stack exchange. Here is described an experimental project on boomerangs by members of. The following are some of my notes i use to teach the physics of flight to my physics students. I came here because im doing a paper about the physics of boomerangs and so i found a topic about it where you explained a guy how to calculate the moment of inertia on a simple model of a boomerang. The throwing technique is important because you have to throw it the right way for it to return. The physics of boomerangs by darren tan mit blossoms. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower. However if one wished to consider the physics of boomerang flight in a year 12 physics lesson this could be done using suggestions by hansen, 1977 or hansen, 1989 uk but the two way direction is wa. The boomerang returns as a result of the movement in its path and gyroscopic precession 6. Because the boomerang is moving forward through the air, in addition to spinning, the arm rotating into the direction of flight creates more lift. Assume the boomerang travels in a circular path and let the vertical component of the lift force balance gravity.
The crosssection of the boomerang is an airfoil which gives it more lift on the top, leading edge than on the bottom. Prominently used by australian aborigines as hunting sticks kylies which were nonreturnable. This topic can be taught inter disciplinary, or as a single subject in a physics course and is especially wellsuited for a project week. Most people expect that this will take practice though. Jan, 2008 the faster they move through the air, the more lift they generate. It gives very detailed information on the history and physics of boomerang flying as well as very good instructions on doing it yourself. Questions are posed to the class to stimulate discussion and indicate how concepts are going over. Boomerang real world physics problems and solutions. However, we have felt that for proper understanding of many topics in modern physics such as quailturn me. Nov 29, 2015 online with anyone for glory 1on1 windy hill zone. Traditional explanations a lot of texts claim that the boomerang is as much a glider as it is a gyroscope, but they fail to understand or fully. The throw of the boomerang gives it an angular velocity perpendicular to its path as shown. A boomerang is a flying device known for returning to its initial position of the throw.
Lesson plans, labs, and demonstrations for the glider and. The wings of a boomerang are sideways so the net lift is towards the centre of the circle that you see the boomerang move on. Another special thanks to our beloved adviser, guan chun, and other physics. A boomerang derives lift from the winged shape and its rotation. Aerodynamics of boomerangs this section is one of the most advanced studies of boomerang science currently available. With this simple representation of the forces acting on the boomerang we can give two reasons why it moves on a circular path. Students are able to watch this video and find things that agree and disagree with newtons three laws of motion. This gives much more detail on the mathematics and physics of the dynamics of the boomerangs motion. The nonuniform lift generates torque or a moment, a twisting force whatever you like to call it and this causes the gyroscopic effect to come into play. This lesson plan was written by sophie duncan, project manager for science at the bbc. Note, however, that the direction in which the axis of rotation changes is not intuitive. It is the work of many hours of study and some very advanced math but it is the most accurate description of the aerodynamics of boomerangs that we are aware of. Bent particles have a preferred direction of brownian motion. Unlike an aeroplane a boomerang spins as it moves through the air and the combination of spin and forward speed means that some parts of the boomerang are moving faster than others.
Students vote on answers electronically and their answers are tallied. I use this opportunity to teach the physics students how to use a band saw safely. He has worked for the singapore ministry of education as a physics lecturer and tutor in pioneer junior college, and also as a senior head policy in the higher education division. He is currently a graduate student in theoretical physics at the university of oxford under the supervision of professor john chalker. Computational modelling of the aerodyanmics and flight.
History of boomerang with a history of being 30,000 years old, it is believed to be the oldest flying object. These are not the whole notes it would take up too many pages, but should give you a. Physics 11 projectile motion worksheet 1 you stand on a cliff 30. Unspinning the boomerang the physics of boomerangs 5. It was the first experiment to make large, highfidelity images of the cmb temperature. Brown physics textbooks introductory physics i and ii a lecture note style textbook series intended to support the teaching of introductory physics, with calculus, at a level suitable for duke undergraduates. The popular variety at left is thrown by grasping it at the bottom and throwing it so that it rotates about an axis perpendicular to the plane shown. Well also delve a little into the history of boomerangs to see how they came about in the first place. Pdf flight dynamics of a returning boomerang researchgate. The boomerang should be almost vertical, at an angle of about 10 o.
Oct 01, 2009 theres plenty of materials science going into the handcrafting of a perfect boomerang. In our opinion these explanations lack a certain precision and do not. Brown physics textbooks introductory physics i and ii a lecture note style textbook series intended to support the teaching of introductory physics, with calculus, at a. The right way of throwing a boomerang is by holding it vertically, tilted at an angle of 1020 degrees with the v direction pointed towards you. A trajectory of a boomerang particle in water, starting from the top of the image, with the blue line tracking. To my knowledge, lorenzs work is the first in which the dynamics of spinning bodies have been treated under a single cover. The trajectory simulation of a boomerang yauawards. The students designed and made their own boomerangs, devised their own procedures, and carried out suitable measurements. There are lots of great boomerang science project ideas for kids of all ages see more ideas about science projects for kids, science projects and physics. I find them kind of cool, because they make handy tools for explaining physics. Well also delve a little into the history of boomerangs to see. Perhaps one of the most user friendly boomerang books out there.
It is wellknown as a weapon used by indigenous australians for hunting boomerangs have been historically used for hunting, as well as sport and entertainment. Here is described an experimental project on boomerangs by members of an undergraduate course in classical mechanics. Learning to throw a boomerang properly takes a lot of practice. It is this torque that makes the boomerang tilt and gradually return to the thrower. Spinning the boomerang causes air to rapidly flow over the airfoils creating lift that makes the boomerang fly. Dec 16, 2009 transfer the boomerangs shape to the wood blank. Mar 10, 2020 the physics of boomerangs lesson plan template and teaching resources. But as inventor eric darnell explains, it also requires a touch of magic. The physics of boomerangs by darren tan segment 1 hi. Yet the theory was too hard to explain to my alevel students, so i needed something more. In this article, well break down the physical principles that make boomerangs work, see what happens as a boomerang flies through the air and find out the proper way to throw a boomerang so that it comes back to you. Lesson plans, labs, and demonstrations for the glider and boomerang written by. Thus a wellbalanced, wellcontoured and wellthrown boomerang will return to the thrower in a horizontal hover.
Im the science samurai and glad to have you here with me today. The cardboard should closely match the shape of the boomerang. The boomerangs angular velocity, linear velocity, as well as its. The two forces and can be represented by a single force and a single couple. Dooblydoo thanks go to the following patreon supporters.
The total force of the shin, ankle and foot striking the ground, and the total force. Because the boomerang is moving forward through the air, in addition to spinning, the arm rotating into the direction of flight creates more lift than the arm rotating away from the direction of flight. A boomerang is a thrown tool, typically constructed as a flat airfoil, that is designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. Dynamics of frisbees, boomerangs, samaras, and skipping stones.