Long before there were rulers, people used parts of their body to measure things:
 A cubit is the length from the elbow to the fingertips. What bones are used to measure a cubit?
 A span is the measure of your outspread fingers. What bones are used to measure a cubit?
 A fathom measures your outstretched arms. What bones are used to measure a fathom?
 A pace is a the distance you cover when walking two steps (left foot, right foot, left foot, for example). What bones
are used to measure a fathom?
Measure your own span and record it below.
FUNCTIONS OF THE BONE
Unscramble the following bone functions and then write a descriptive, summarizing sentence for each function:
1. bloetomlandorolicf
2. cnepotorit
3. oagerst
4. tsourpp
5. nmvotmee
4 TYPES OF BONES
Highlight key terms and concepts.
Then answer the questions.
1. LONG BONES
Long bones are some of the longest bones in the body, such as the Femur, Humerus and Tibia but are also some of the
smallest including the Metacarpals, Metatarsals and Phalanges. The classification of a long bone includes having a body
which is longer than it is wide, with growth plates (epiphysis) at either end, having a hard outer surface of compact bone
and a spongy inner known a cancellous bone containing bone marrow. Both ends of the bone are covered in hyaline
cartilage to help protect the bone and aid shock absorption.
List 6 examples of long bones:
What is the outer surface made of?
What is the spongy inner bone known as?
The femur - a long bone
2. SHORT BONES
Short bones are defined as being approximately as wide as they are long and have a primary function of providing
support and stability with little movement. Examples of short bones are the Carpals and Tarsals - the wrist and foot
bones. They consist of only a thin layer of compact, hard bone with spongy/cancellous bone on the inside along with
relatively large amounts of bone marrow.
List two examples of short bones.
Short bones consist of a thin layer of __________________________ bone.
There is ________________________________ bone on the inside.
The carpals - short bones
There is also _________________________ in the middle of the bone.
3. FLAT BONES
Flat bones are as they sound, strong, flat plates of bone with the main function of providing protection to the bodies vital
organs and being a base for muscular attachment. The classic example of a flat bone is the Scapula (shoulder blade). The
Sternum (breast bone), Cranium (skull), os coxae (hip bone) Pelvis and Ribs are also classified as flat bones. Anterior and
posterior surfaces are formed of compact bone to provide strength for protection with the center consisting of cancellous
(spongy) bone and varying amounts of bone marrow. In adults, the highest number of red blood cells is formed in flat
bones.
Name three examples of flat bones.
The highest number of ______________________________ is formed
in flat bones.
4. IRREGULAR BONES
These are bones in the body which do not fall into any other category, due to their non-uniform shape. Good examples of
these are the Vertebrae, Sacrum and Mandible (lower jaw). They primarily consist of cancellous bone, with a thin outer
layer of compact bone.
How are these bones categorized?
List three examples.
They are mostly composed of what?
STRUCTURE OF A LONG BONE
Define the following terms:
a) Epiphysis:
b) diaphysis:
c)lamellae:
d) osteon:
e) osteocyte:
f)ossification:
e) epiphyseal plate/line:
LABEL THE MAJOR BONES OF THE BODY