Becky Stewart, age 10, of Wichita, Kansas, for her question:

HOW DOES A BOOMERANG WORK?

People in Australia and a number of other countries use the boomerang for war and in hunting. It is a curved throwing stick about two feet long.

A return boomerang will soar upward when it misses its target and then curve in the air and return toward the thrower. A skilled person can throw it so that it will return near enough to be caught in the hand. Some experts can throw a return boomerang for more than 100 yards.

The Australian return boomerang is curved at an angle of 90 degrees or more. It was used by the aborigines to hunt birds and game.

The Hopi Indians of northern Arizona used a non returning boomerang for hunting jack rabbits. Some people could throw a non returning boomerang nearly 600 feet.