Skeletal System. What is the difference between the axial and appendicular skeleton? What is the difference between ligaments and tendons? How are bones important in maintaining homeostasis?

1. What is the difference between the axial and appendicular skeleton? What is the difference between ligaments and tendons? How are bones important in maintaining homeostasis? The Skeletal system provides us with many important functions. It provides us with the shape and form for our bodies as well as supporting, protecting and allowing our body to move freely, producing blood for the body and storing minerals. This is important in maintain

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homeostasis. The human endoskeleton skeleton is a combination of cartilage and 206 bones that make up the skeletal system. It is organized into two basic units: the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton supports the axis or trunk of the body and includes the skull, enclosing and protecting the brain, vertebrae of the spinal column, enclosing the spinal cord and the rib cage, around the heart and lungs. It includes 80 bones. The appendicular skeleton is made up of the bones of the limbs, shoulders and pelvis. This part of the skeletal system contains 126 bones, 64 in the shoulders and upper limbs and 62 in the pelvis and lower limbs. The function of the tendon is to connect the muscle to bone. The tendons pull on the bone providing movement when a muscle contracts. Tendons also stabilize the joint. Each muscle usually has two tendons, one proximal and one distal. Ligaments are internal or external to the joint capsule. They bind bone to bone and supply passive support and control to joints. Ligaments and tendons can adapt to changes within their mechanical environment due to injury, disease or exercise. Bone is the body’s main calcium reservoir, storing 99% of total body calcium. The level of calcium in the blood can be regulated by controlling the rates of calcium absorption from bone into blood and of calcium deposition from blood into bone. Most of the functions of nerve cells depend on having a stable level of calcium in extracellular fluids. The role of bone in calcium homeostasis is to “buffer” the blood calcium, releasing into blood plasma when the level decreases, and taking calcium back when the level rises. Hormones regulate these exchanges. This information is useful as a yoga enthusiast teacher. I have the opportunity to work with individuals improve flexibility. Flexibility is the range of movement possible around a joint and depends on the amount of stretch allowed by the ligaments, joints, tendons and muscles. Flexibility is considered an important component of overall physical fitness. I will be more knowledgable working with individuals to help them improve their flexibility by stretching.

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skatealexia

17th of Mar 2012

Quality of writing

Spelling, grammar and punctuation are all correct.

Level of analysis

The introduction is adequate, but I wouldn't have been able to tell it was an introduction until reading the remainder of the text, so this should be set out a bit clearer. Could go into the functions of the different types of skeleton slightly deeper, such as the movement and flexibility provided by the vertebrae. Ligaments do not always connect bone to bone apart from in the limbs, for example the round ligament of the liver connects the liver to ventral abdominal wall in the dog, and is hence not connecting bone to bone, so to achieve higher levels the candidate would have considered body systems other than just the skeletal one. Tendons are also continuations of muscles, and there are different types of muscles depending on the types of fibres that run through it. Could provide deeper detail about calcium homeostasis such as the different types of cells found in bone or the role of the hormones calcitonin and parathyroid. No conclusion, but the candidate begins to talk about themselves, not making an adequate conclusion, and this should not be done in a scientific essay. However, provides a good depth of analysis for an A level candidate.

Response to question

Good overall response to the question with each part considered, although the level of analysis throughout the main body of the text could have been deeper, and there is no end conclusion to the main points brought about in the essay making it more of a question- answer format.

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