DP IB Biology: HL

Revision Notes

Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2014

Last exams 2024

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11.2.4 Skills: The Human Elbow & Sarcomeres

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Annotating the Human Elbow

  • The human elbow is an articulated synovial joint which means that it is a junction where two moving bones meet encapsulated in synovial fluid
  • It consists of several components which can be labelled on a diagram and annotated with descriptions of each structure in the following way:

annotating-the-elbow-joint

The human elbow joint

Drawing a Sarcomere

  • An accurate drawing of the sarcomere is a good way to demonstrate the relative movement of the muscle fibres during muscle contraction
  • It also allows us to understand the visible bands seen in the images of muscle tissue in micrographs
  • Some important considerations are as follows:
    • Z-lines mark either end of a sarcomere
    • Actin must be adjoined clearly to the z-lines and is thinner than the myosin
    • Myosin should be shown with the crossheads visible and should be thicker than actin
    • Light bands (around the z line) and dark bands (where the 2 filament types overlap) should be labelled

drawing-and-labeling-a-sarcomere

The sarcomere

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Ruth graduated from Sheffield University with a degree in Biology and went on to teach Science in London whilst also completing an MA in innovation in Education. With 10 years of teaching experience across the 3 key science disciplines, Ruth decided to set up a tutoring business to support students in her local area. Ruth has worked with several exam boards and loves to use her experience to produce educational materials which make the mark schemes accessible to all students.