Lab Project #3

For this lab project, the construction of a model representing a working limb was the goal. In my model, you will see the bone and the individual parts that contribute to a properly functioning limb. This will include the tibia, fibula, patella, femur, the muscle and its tendons, a nerve impulse, and myelin sheath. To do this project I used magnets, metal balls, and a paper and pen.




This first picture represents the upper leg, the thigh bone, otherwise known as the femur. This bone is not proportionate as it is usually 1/4 the size of the individual.






This picture is representing the tibia and the fibula. This is part of the lower leg.






This picture represents the part where the first picture and second picture finally combine. This is the leg. You can see a knee cap, otherwise known as the patella. This patella is connected by these bones through a joint.






In this picture, new things are placed on top of the bones. The red magnets shown here are the muscles, or muscle group. This particular muscle group is called the quadriceps femoris.






This picture has included blue magnets. These blue magnets represent the muscle tendons. The muscle tendons let the muscle move the bone back and forth. Perhaps for a soccer kick!





This picture demonstrates the movement of the legs, allowed by the muscle tendons.





The paper substitutes for the neurons. The neurons carry the messages (the nerve impulses) to the muscle instructing contractions.







This diagram represents the neurons with its myelin sheath.






Now this is a close up of the neuron. This motor neuron has dendrites, a cell body, and an axon. In this model, you acan see the schwann cells pencilled in. These store the neurotransmitters.



Overall, this project provided a functional limb. From my experiment and pictures, you can see that a limb is a network of many parts. There is the bone, the muscle, the tendons, the joints, and it just continues on. All these parts are essential for the limb to move.