I originally asked this question of the biomch-l list. The reponses so
far have been interesting (I'll collate them eventually) and might have
implications in the engineering of equipment to minimise injury. Here's
my original question. Any thoughts?
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Might seem like a daft question but can anyone tell me why there's a
patella on the knee of a biped (and the rear leg of a quadruped) but not on
the elbow (or front leg)? If it's because back legs tend to carry greater
loads, is there an evolutionary reason why this asymmetry should have
arisen in the first place?
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Regards,
Ron.
Dr R D Thomson
Ballistics, Impact + Sports Eng Group
Mech Eng Dept, Glasgow Uni
Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland
tel UK (44) Gla (141) 330 4313
fax UK (44) Gla (141) 330 4343
web http://www.mech.gla.ac.uk/~rthomson
ISEA website:
http://www.sports-engineering.co.uk/
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