Matt Ph.D. Caniglia

Spike the Triangle

Matt Ph.D. Caniglia

A study of the sidearm throw of the Aerobie Orbiter. This high-performance boomerang is manufactured in the United States by Aerobie, Inc. Imagine three twelve-inch plastic rulers fused equilaterally to form &quot;the triangle,&quot; a thin, rigid flight toy that harbors a secret. When thrown overhand, as intended by the manufacturer, like the quarterback in American Football, it behaves like a traditional boomerang: taking a low, circular flight path, and ultimately returning to its thrower. However, when thrown sidearm, the triangle does something radical!<br><br>Unorthodox and swift, the sidearm-thrown boomerang appears erratic upon first glance. Subsequent throws, however, quickly reveal a constant production of the same repetitive flight path. This course of throw and this pattern of flight becomes so predictable that a human&#39;s natural instinct yearns to catch a seemingly uncatchable boomerang…and so begins the story of Spike the Triangle.