How does a boomerang return to you after you throw it?
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A boomerang has two wings that are shaped into airfoils so that they generate lift when it spins the way a propeller does. When it is thrown one wing will generate more lift than the other because the airflow over it is added to the airflow from it’s spin while the other has it subtracted. This uneven lift would tend tip the ‘rang over but because it is spinning another force comes into play that as I write this has yet to be mentioned; [gyroscopic precession](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRZGdvJQnPU)
When the unequal lift attempts rotate the axis of spin of the ‘rang, precession turns it at a right angle causing the ‘rang to fly in a turning path. The higher the forward speed the greater the unequal lift the harder the turn. This result in a well made and well thrown ‘rang returning to the thrower and settling into a helicopter like descent to be caught.
Wait, it’s suppose to return to you? I always thought it’s suppose to break windows
It’s like rolling a ball up a hill with rotation so that it makes the desired arc. Instead of a hill the boomerang is riding a wave of dense air its wings create.
I used to have boomerangs as a teen. You have to practice for a while the exact angle you throw it at. You should throw it straight, like a knife if you will. In cartoons people are pictured throwing them sideways but that’s not the right way.
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