_{1+ 2+ 3} Boomerang By Cy Tymony

Make a real boomerang out of cardboard and foam rubber.

You will need: Corrugated cardboard, foam rubber, tape, scissors

Have you ever wondered how birds fly or how sailboats can sail into the wind? In the last issue, I showed how to make a flying disc using the Bernoulli principle to generate lift; now let’s use the same principle to create a boomerang out of ordinary stuff like cardboard.

1. Cut the cardboard to the size and shape shown.

Each wing of the boomerang should be 9"× 2".

2. Cut 2 foam pieces into oval shapes about 6"× 2" with 1 side rising, as shown in Figure 2. The rising shape should resemble the side view of an airplane wing. Place the oval foam pieces on the leading edges of the boomerang and secure them with tape. The foam creates a curved shape on the boomerang wing, causing air to move faster across its top area than the bottom surface. This will produce lift for the boomerang.

NOTE: Look carefully at the placement of the ovals on the wings in Figure 3 before taping them.

3. Throw the boomerang like you were going to toss a baseball. Throw it straight overhead, not to the side. The boomerang should fly straight and return to the left. Experiment with different throwing angles to obtain a desired return pattern. If the boomerang does not return properly, add extra weight by using thicker cardboard or by taping coins, evenly spaced, to its surface. You can also experiment with thicker pieces of foam to improve lift.

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Illustration by Dustin Amery Hostetler

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Fig. 4

Cy Tymony is the author of the Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things book series. sneakyuses.com

Make: 77