Identifying Bones (AQA GCSE Physical Education (PE))

Bones

• The musculoskeletal system is an organ system made up of mostly muscle and an incompressible skeleton of bones, along with cartilage, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue

• There are 206 bones in an adult body

• Some examples of these bones are as follows:

  • The cranium is the anatomical term for the skull found within the head

  • The vertebrae are a collection of bones that make up the spine

  • The scapula is the anatomical term for the shoulder blade

  • The humerus is the large bone in the upper arm between the shoulder and elbow joint

  • The ribs are in the upper chest and form a cage structure

  • The sternum is the anatomical term for the breast bone in the front of the chest

  • The radius and the ulna are both in the lower arm below the elbow and above the wrist. The radius is depicted on the outer side in diagrams and is on the side of the thumb. The ulna is depicted on the inner side in diagrams and is on the side of the little finger

  • The pelvis is the anatomical term for the hip bone

  • The femur is a very large bone in the upper leg between the hip and the knee joints

  • The tibia and the fibula are both in the lower leg below the knee and above the ankle. The tibia is the shin bone at the front of the leg and the fibula is the smaller bone at the back of the leg

  • The patella sits in front of the knee joint

  • The talus is in the ankle of the foot, just below the tibia and fibula

The skeletal system diagram

The main bones of the skeletal system are shown here. You need to be able to identify these on a diagram