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Worked Example: Femoral Stresses

A example on estimating stresses in a femur. Learners are encouraged to try and solve the problem for themselves before watching Eann solve it.

In the next paragraph a problem is described for you to solve using the material that we have covered in the course so far. Have a go at solving this for yourself before watching the worked solution in the video or looking at the pdf below.

a) Estimate the stress in your femur when standing still and upright with your weight distributed evenly on both feet. (b) Repeat the exercise in (a) for an adult African elephant and for an adult mouse. Only approximate estimates of the bone dimensions and mass are necessary. (c) Assuming that the strength of bone in humans, elephants and mice is approximately equal, discuss the susceptibility to fractures.

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Understanding Superstructures

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