Boomerangs

This passage describes how boomerangs are used.

Lexile Level: 1170L

Categories: History Sports & Health

Many people around the world enjoy throwing boomerangs as a hobby. Boomerangs are usually V-shaped pieces of wood that measure between twelve and eighteen inches from one tip to the next. They usually weigh no more than four ounces. When thrown at high speed, boomerangs rotate at about ten revolutions per second. They hurtle away from the thrower and then begin an elliptical flight pattern that eventually finds the boomerang returning to the vicinity of the thrower. The modern boomerang evolved from the "killer sticks" of ancient hunters. Killer sticks were shaped much like boomerangs, but their flights were flat and straight. Therefore, early hunters were not fortunate enough to have their killer sticks return if they missed their intended targets. The oldest boomerang ever found is about twenty-three thousand years old and is believed to have been capable of bringing down game of considerable size. Today's boomerang enthusiasts wear eye protection and catch their returning boomerangs with caution to avoid being modern-day victims of these fascinating projectiles.