Function of Human Skeleton

The bones in our body make up a framework called skeleton. The skeleton of an adult human being is made up of 206 bones. A child has many more bones. But as he grows into an adult many of the bones fuse together.

Bones are made of hard substance.Cartilage are soft and elastic. In the bone marrow, red blood cells are produced. Bones are of many shapes and sizes.Some are flat, some are cylindrical and some are spherical.

The longest bone of our body is femur and the smallest bone is found in our ears. Skeleton system extends from the top of our head to the tip of the toes.

Functions of The Skeleton:

The skeleton has four main functions:

SUPPORT: Your body has a number of soft organs and muscles. It is necessary to have a hard framework to support these parts, otherwise the body will collapse. Your skeleton provides this framework and holds you upright.

PROTECTION: The bones protect the organs of your body. The brain is protected by the skull; the heart and lungs by the long bones in your chest called the ribs.

MOVEMENT AND LOCOMOTION : The change in the position of any part of the body with respect to its axis is called movement. Locomotion on the other hand is the movement of whole body of an organism from one place to another. Though the individual bones are hard, several of them can move at places where they are joined to other bones. That is why you can move your arms, legs, fingers, and many other parts of your body. Skeleton of an organism help an organism to move and locate from one place to other.

MAKING BLOOD CELLS: Bones are hard from outside but they are soft and spongy the inside. The inside of bones contain soft substance called the bone marrow. Red and white blood cells are made inside the bone marrow. The soft spongy material found within long bones such as the femur is known as the bone marrow. Its main function is to produce new blood cells to replace ones that are damaged and worn out.

MINERAL STORAGE :- Bones serve as a reservoir for calcium and phosphorus, essential minerals for various cellular activities throughout the body.

ENERGY STORAGE :- Lipids, such as fats, stored in adipose cells of the yellow marrow serve as an energy reservoir.

.... (More Text Available, Login?)

Sample Questions

(More Questions for each concept available in Login)

Question : 1

Which of the following are correct ? (a) The bones in our body make up a framework called skeleton . (b) The skeleton of an adult human being is made up of 206 bones. (c) Bones are made of hard substance.
A. Only (a) and (b) is correct .		B. Only (b) and (c) is correct .
C. Only (a) and (c) is correct .		D. All of these .
Right Option : D
View Explanation

Question : 2

Which is the longest and smallest bone of our body ?
A. Femur, Phalanges	B. Radius, Stapes	C. Phalanges, Carpal	D. Femur, Stapes
Right Option : D
View Explanation

Question : 3

I give you shape. Without me, you are like jelly. I give you support like the pillars of a building. I also protect your delicate parts. Who am I?
A. Tissue	B. Cell wall	C. Skeleton	D. Muscle
Right Option : C
View Explanation