BONES

• function of the skeleton

  provide scaffold to support body weight, facilitate movement, protects vital organs, produces red blood cells, stores and releases minerals and fats
• axial skeleton


  consists of the bones that line down the central axis of the body
• appendicular skeleton


  consists of bones of the upper and lower limbs, the pectoral girdle and the pelvic girdle
• Diaphysis


  shaft making up the main portion of the bone
• Epiphyses


  the enlarged ends of the bones
• Articular cartilage


  thin layer that covers the epiphysis to allow for smooth movement
• Periosteum


  dense, white, fibrous outer covering of the bone
• inorganic salts deposited in the matrix to increase rigidity and strength and make it the hardest of the connective tissues