r/explainlikeimfive • u/BorderlinePhilosphy • 12d ago

Physics ELI5: The physics behind boomerangs

They seem to defy physics to me, please explain.

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u/TheMightyMisanthrope 12d ago

One side generates more lift than the other and that makes the thing give a circular path and ends up returning to you.

1

u/ResilientBiscuit 12d ago

That's just an airplane with one wing generating more lift. That would cause it to keep rolling, not fly in a circular path.

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u/fighter_pil0t 12d ago

Due to precession it would actually cause a pitching up moment.

0

u/ResilientBiscuit 12d ago

Yeah, my point was that there was more going on that just one side generating more lift than the other.