throwing

Article summary

Throwing ( ) is a physical action that consists of mechanically accelerating a projectile and then releasing it into a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a distant target. Throwing typically refers to hand-throwing by animals with prehensile forelimbs, in which the projectile is grasped in a hand and the proximal limb segments move through compounded kinematic chains to impart a mechanically advantaged swinging motion. For other animals, the definition of throwing is somewhat unclear, as other actions such as spitting or spraying may or may not be included. Primates are the most prolific throwers in the animal kingdom, and they typically throw feces as a form of agonistic behavior. Of all primates, humans are by far the most capable throwers, able to throw a large variety of projectiles with great force and accuracy. Throughout human evolution, humans (especially Homo sapiens) have used hand-thrown projectiles for hunting and in warfare—first through rock-throwing, then refined weapon-throwing (e.g. spear, axe or dart), and into modern day with payload-carrying devices such as hand grenades, flashbangs and tear gas canisters. To overcome the biophysical limitations of throwing by hand, humans also designed tools to improve the efficiency of their throwing techniques.…

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