A joint is any place where two or more bones meet, whether or not movement is possible between them.

What is an immovable joint?

An immovable joint is one in which the bones are bound together by fibrous tissue or fused outright, so that no movement at all can take place between them.

Why are the joints between the bones of the cranium immovable?

Locking the bones together turns the braincase into a single rigid shell, which gives the brain the greatest possible protection against a blow.

What is a gliding joint?

A gliding joint is one in which two flat or only slightly curved bone surfaces slide across one another.

Where in the body are gliding joints found?

Gliding joints are found between the carpals of the wrist, between the tarsals of the ankle, and between the articulating facets of neighbouring vertebrae.

Eduqas A-Level Biology A400QS

Biological Molecules

Topic overview Inorganic ions and the properties of water Monosaccharides and disaccharides Polysaccharides, storage and structure Lipids, triglycerides and phospholipids Amino acids and protein structure Condensation, hydrolysis and the food tests

Cell Structure and Organisation

Topic overview The nucleus and the endomembrane system Mitochondria, chloroplasts and other organelles Prokaryotic cells and viruses Cell theory, microscopy and measuring cells Comparing cells and the levels of organisation

Cell Membranes and Transport

Topic overview The fluid-mosaic model Factors affecting membrane permeability Diffusion and facilitated diffusion Osmosis and water potential Active transport and bulk transport Determining water potential in practice

Enzymes

Topic overview Enzymes as biological catalysts The active site and induced fit Temperature, pH and buffers Substrate and enzyme concentration Inhibition and immobilised enzymes

Nucleic Acids and Their Functions

Topic overview Nucleotides and the structure of ATP ATP as the energy currency of the cell The structure of DNA Comparing DNA and RNA Semi-conservative replication The genetic code Transcription Translation and the fate of the polypeptide Extracting DNA from living material

Importance of ATP

Topic overview ATP synthetase and the synthesis of ATP Chemiosmosis and the electrochemical gradient Proton pumps and the electron transport chain Membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts compared Investigating dehydrogenase activity

Photosynthesis

Topic overview Chloroplast structure and the distribution of chloroplasts Photosynthetic pigments and chromatography Photosystems and light harvesting Non-cyclic and cyclic photophosphorylation The light-independent stage Limiting factors and the rate of photosynthesis Nitrogen, magnesium and plant growth

Respiration

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Microbiology

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Population Size and Ecosystems

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Human Impact on the Environment

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Classification and Biodiversity

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Mitosis and Meiosis

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Sexual Reproduction in Humans

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Sexual Reproduction in Plants

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Inheritance

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Application of Reproduction and Genetics

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Adaptations for Gas Exchange

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Adaptations for Transport

Topic overview Vascular systems compared across animal groups The mammalian heart and blood vessels The cardiac cycle and its control Blood, haemoglobin and dissociation curves The Bohr effect, chloride shift and tissue fluid The root and the uptake of water The endodermis and the entry to the xylem Xylem, transpiration and cohesion-tension The potometer and xerophytes and hydrophytes Phloem and translocation

Adaptations for Nutrition

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Homeostasis and the Kidney

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The Nervous System

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Immunology and Disease: Disease and Its TransmissionImmunology

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Immunology and Disease: AntibioticsImmunology

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Immunology and Disease: The Immune ResponseImmunology

Topic overview Natural barriers to infection Inflammation, clotting and phagocytosis Antigens, B lymphocytes and the humoral response Cell-mediated immunity and T lymphocytes Active and passive immunity Vaccination programmes and their ethics

Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Skeletal TissuesMusculoskeletal

Topic overview Cartilage and its three types The composition and functions of compact bone Bone remodelling and the Haversian system Rickets, osteomalacia, osteoporosis and brittle bone disease The structure of skeletal muscle The sliding filament theory Fast and slow twitch fibres, and energy for contraction

Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Structure and Function of the SkeletonMusculoskeletal

Topic overview The axial and appendicular skeleton The girdles and the bones of the limbs The vertebral column and its vertebrae Fractures and postural deformities The functions of the skeleton

Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: JointsMusculoskeletal

Topic overview Types of joint in the human body The structure of a synovial joint Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis Joints as levers Antagonistic muscle action in the forelimb

Neurobiology and Behaviour: The BrainNeurobiology

Topic overview The structure of the human brain The functions of the cerebrum, cerebellum and medulla oblongata The hypothalamus and the control of the endocrine system The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems Sensory and motor areas, the homunculus and language

Neurobiology and Behaviour: NeuroscienceNeurobiology

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Neurobiology and Behaviour: BehaviourNeurobiology

Topic overview Innate behaviour: escape reflexes, kineses and taxes Habituation and imprinting Classical and operant conditioning Primate societies and the costs and benefits of group living Insect castes, dominance hierarchies, territory and courtship

Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Joints

5 subtopics
15 things to know
Component 3
Component 3, Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy — one option of three

What Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Joints covers

Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Joints is examined in Component 3, Requirements for Life — the optional section Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy, one of three from which a student studies one. It covers types of joint in the human body, the structure of a synovial joint, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, joints as levers and antagonistic muscle action in the forelimb.

Where it is assessed

Component 3

Requirements for Life — the human musculoskeletal anatomy option, one of three of which a student studies one.

Check the Eduqas specification ↗

The 5 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Why is the shoulder far more easily dislocated than the hip?

Key term

How is rheumatoid arthritis treated?

Key term

Give an example of a first order lever in the human body.

Key term

What covers the ends of the bones in a synovial joint, and what type of cartilage is it?

Key term

Why must skeletal muscles be arranged in pairs?

Key term

What is a joint?

Key term

What would happen at a joint if its articular cartilage were lost?

Key term

What is the underlying cause of osteoarthritis?

Key term

What three components does every lever have?

Key term

What happens to the triceps while the biceps is contracting?

Key term

Give two examples of immovable joints in the human body.

Key term

What is the synovial membrane, and what does it secrete?

Key term

Describe what happens to the articular cartilage in osteoarthritis.

Key term

In the body, what plays the part of the rigid bar, the fulcrum and the effort?

Key term

Explain how the arm is straightened again after it has been bent.

Take Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Joints further

The same content, four other ways.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is a joint?
Model answer
A joint is any place where two or more bones meet, whether or not movement is possible between them.
2
What is an immovable joint?
Model answer
An immovable joint is one in which the bones are bound together by fibrous tissue or fused outright, so that no movement at all can take place between them.
3
Give two examples of immovable joints in the human body.
Model answer
The sutures between the flat bones of the cranium and the fused vertebrae of the sacrum are both immovable joints.
4
Why are the joints between the bones of the cranium immovable?
Model answer
Locking the bones together turns the braincase into a single rigid shell, which gives the brain the greatest possible protection against a blow.
5
What is a gliding joint?
Model answer
A gliding joint is one in which two flat or only slightly curved bone surfaces slide across one another.
6
Where in the body are gliding joints found?
Model answer
Gliding joints are found between the carpals of the wrist, between the tarsals of the ankle, and between the articulating facets of neighbouring vertebrae.

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Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Joints revision questions

What does Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Joints cover in Eduqas A-Level Biology?: 5 subtopics: types of joint in the human body, the structure of a synovial joint, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, joints as levers and antagonistic muscle action in the forelimb. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Human Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Joints organised?: By the Eduqas A400QS specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

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