Dear John,

I am happy to hear that you think that it goes beyond perception, yet you
haven't offered anything physical to support it. You offer three throws in the
entire history of boomeranging to support your theory, but not one single throw
of a four foot monster boom from the lead arm.

When anyone throws any object, and I do mean any object, the torque applied is
the power times the distance arm (grip to CG) through which the power is
applied. In symmetrical booms, this is the same for both ends. There are only a
handful of other variables, including standard of deviation of the weight of the
object (why we peripherally weight booms); drag on the object; and, in the case
of booms, the lift generated. Holding it from different ends doesn't change the
standard of deviation of the weight; the drag doesn't change; and the lift
doesn't change, because it is still the same boom. If the power is the same, the
torque arm is the same, then there isn't a physical reason to prefer one arm to
the other. "Human variation" won't allow someone to throw it better from either
end better than the other end; I don't see a single reason why it would.

You're calling it "human variation," which seems to me to be another way of
saying "preference." Humans do not vary so much that they change the physics
involved in a throw, with some preferring one arm over another because of the
physics. Preferences are typically beliefs, and beliefs are psychological.

Please give just one example of how physics can be influenced by the throw
itself, from differing ends of a symmetrical boom. I haven't seen anything about
this, in any of your posts. If someone does something different in their throws
from opposite ends of a given boom, I am saying the problem is in their minds,
not in the physics involved. They are probably doing something wrong with one of
the throws.

Best wishes,

Fred M.


--- In Boomerang_Talk@yahoogroups.com, "johnvboomerangertiltheend"
<whishhbone@...> wrote:
>
> > > It really makes no difference. If the boom is released with the same
energy and imparted spin, it will fly the same. Any perceived differences are
more than likely due to variation on the thrower's part.
> > >
>
> "If" is a pretty iffy word. I think it goes beyond what is perceived.
Throwers choose one end or the other for the actual result - in other words,
what happens to the boomerang in real life. As I have already implied, human
variation is the dominant factor in the equation.
>
> Here's world record thrower Manuel Shuets throwing a symmetrical boom from the
lead arm - also known as the "throwing" arm - at the 2008 World Boomerang
Championships in Washington, 48 seconds into the clip.
> http://youtu.be/Wp985jj7VNY
>
> Here's champion thrower Logan Broadbent throwing a symmetrical boom lead arm
at 5:05 into this clip:
> http://youtu.be/izohL90x4wI
>
> Here's another top thrower throwing a symmetrical boom from the lead arm at
2:10 into the clip:
> http://youtu.be/dyShZG9Geu0
>
> Maybe you're not so much in the minority after all Chris...
>
> John V.