Editing Boomerang (section)

==Modern styles and uses==
[[File:Dale_Conrick_004.jpg|thumb|A boomerang throwing event in Alice Springs (Mparntwe), c. 1950s]]
[[File:Whittaker_087_J.jpg|thumb|Aboriginal men with boomerangs in Alice Springs (Mparntwe), c.1960s]]
[[File:sportbumerangs.jpg|thumb|Sport boomerangs]]
[[File:Boomerangs - melbourne show 2005.jpg|thumb|Boomerangs for sale at the 2005 Melbourne Show]]
Beginning in the later part of the twentieth century, there has been a bloom in the independent creation of unusually designed art boomerangs. These often have little or no resemblance to the traditional historical ones and on first sight some of these objects may not look like boomerangs at all. The use of modern thin plywoods and synthetic plastics have greatly contributed to their success. Designs are very diverse and can range from animal inspired forms, humorous themes, complex calligraphic and symbolic shapes, to the purely abstract. Painted surfaces are similarly richly diverse. Some boomerangs made primarily as art objects do not have the required aerodynamic properties to return.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

Boomerangs are mostly used for recreation today. Modern boomerangs used for sport can be made from Finnish birch [[plywood]], [[hardwood]], or plastics such as [[Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene|ABS]], [[polypropylene]], [[phenolic paper]], or [[Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer|carbon fibre-reinforced plastics]]. Most sport boomerangs typically weigh less than {{convert|100|g|abbr=on}}, with MTA boomerangs (boomerangs used for the maximum-time-aloft event) often under {{convert|25|g|abbr=on}}.{{cn|date=May 2025}} There are different types of throwing contests: accuracy of return; Aussie round; trick catch; [[maximum time aloft]]; fast catch; and endurance (see below).{{cn|date=May 2025}}

Boomerangs have also been suggested as an alternative to [[clay pigeons]] in shotgun sports, where the flight of the boomerang better mimics the flight of a bird offering a more challenging target.<ref>{{cite AV media |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwv2BhJEjDo |title= Aussie Boomerang Shootin' |date= 15 October 2012 |via= YouTube |access-date= 18 October 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130201131536/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwv2BhJEjDo |archive-date= 1 February 2013 |url-status= live}}</ref>

The modern boomerang is often [[computer-aided design]]ed with precision airfoils. The number of "wings" is often more than 2 as more lift is provided by 3 or 4 wings than by 2.<ref>[http://www.boomerangs.com/aerodynamics.html Boomerang Aerodynamics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807142646/http://www.boomerangs.com/aerodynamics.html |date=7 August 2008}}, [http://www.boomerangs.com/ boomerangs.com]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060322212741/http://www.boomerangs.com/ |date=22 March 2006}}.</ref><ref>Saulius Pakalnis, [http://www.researchsupporttechnologies.com/boomerang_site/boomerang1.htm Aerodynamics of Boomerang] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611140201/http://www.researchsupporttechnologies.com/boomerang_site/boomerang1.htm |date=11 June 2010}}, 21 April 2006, [http://www.researchsupporttechnologies.com/ researchsupporttechnologies.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100815094709/http://www.researchsupporttechnologies.com/ |date=15 August 2010}}.</ref> Among the latest inventions is a round-shaped boomerang, which has a different look but using the same returning principle as traditional boomerangs.<ref>[https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=08608598&IDKey=B4AE0ACC2549&HomeUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO2%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D8%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526co1%3DAND%2526d%3DPTXT%2526s1%3DBOOMERANG.TI.%2526OS%3DTTL%2FBOOMERANG%2526RS%3DTTL%2FBOOMERANG Round-shaped boomerang patent]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107155040/https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=08608598&IDKey=B4AE0ACC2549&HomeUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO2%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D8%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526co1%3DAND%2526d%3DPTXT%2526s1%3DBOOMERANG.TI.%2526OS%3DTTL%2FBOOMERANG%2526RS%3DTTL%2FBOOMERANG |date=7 January 2022}}. 8 July 2021</ref> This allows for safer catch for players.