• @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    110
    edit-2
    9 months ago

    The mode human body contains enough bones to make an entire skeleton. The average human body doesn’t have enough.

    • Greg Clarke
      link
      fedilink
      English
      369 months ago

      The additional ~200 bones from fetuses in late stage pregnant woman would be more than the missing bones from amputees etc. OPs statement is accurate.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          29 months ago

          What if we use the little fetus bones to replace some of the smaller adult bones, and take those smaller adult bones to replace some bigger adult bones, and so on until we have a big ol’ femur?

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        1
        edit-2
        9 months ago

        Actually, OP’s statement is still wrong because there are more bones than 1 entire skeleton on average.

        • Greg Clarke
          link
          fedilink
          English
          28 months ago

          The statement “the ocean contains enough water to fill a bucket” doesn’t mean the ocean only contains a single bucket of water. “The ocean contains enough water to fill one bucket” might imply that the ocean only contains one bucket of water but OP doesn’t specify a number. This is an interesting conversation on ambiguous semantics in English.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            28 months ago

            That’s a fair argument, and I suppose the average is somewhat close to one so it isn’t that misleading, but if aliens asked how much water was on your planet’s surface and you told them it was enough to fill a bucket, then you would be the asshole in that analogy.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      15
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      The word average can technically refer to arithmetic mean, median, mode, or range. That’s why you were probably taught them at the same time. That’s also why tests like the ACT tend to have a * at the top that says something along the lines of “Unless otherwise stated, the word average indicates arithmetic mean.”

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          79 months ago

          Because mean is the most common form of average. But, for example, when referring to salaries, the words median and average are often used interchangeably.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            3
            edit-2
            9 months ago

            This isn’t true at all

            Edit: well they may be used interchangebly, but they’re also used incorrectly in that case

    • MacN'Cheezus
      link
      fedilink
      English
      139 months ago

      Actually, the average human body contains more than one skeleton.

        • MacN'Cheezus
          link
          fedilink
          English
          59 months ago

          It would have to be a lot considering that a baby has a full set of bones while a missing limb is generally only a few of them.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            29 months ago

            Half the bones in a adult human are in the hands and feet. I don’t know if there’s enough missing limbs to offset fetus skeletons but I there’s a whole lot of bones missing in a double amputee.

            • MacN'Cheezus
              link
              fedilink
              English
              29 months ago

              Babies have up to 270 bones at birth (instead of 206 in an adult), which makes up for at least one double amputee (hands have 27 bones and feet have 26 each).

    • dream_weasel
      link
      fedilink
      29 months ago

      Are infinitesimally shaved average bones not bones? Idk who is the bone authority responsible for making that decision.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            69 months ago

            Pregnant women as well. Now their human body contains two skeletons, thus raising the average number of bones in a human body by a considerable amount. I would guess there’s probably more pregnant women than there are people missing limbs.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              39 months ago

              Ok then technically we are all born with an extra set of teeth. That we lose. So a full skeleton contains all the baby teeth as well.

              • @[email protected]
                link
                fedilink
                19 months ago

                Traditionaly when talking about the skeleton, we refer to the adult skeleton seeing as an adolescent skeleton have more bones that then fuse. I agree that we need to take that into account, but I don’t believe the statement would be referring to an adolescent skeleton.

        • dream_weasel
          link
          fedilink
          19 months ago

          Plenty of people do. My sister for example had bones in her feet that never fused and had to have an extra removed. I guess that’s pretty common

        • Exatron
          link
          fedilink
          19 months ago

          Some people were born with extra fingers, and sometimes entire extra limbs.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      29 months ago

      Different perspective: Even if you miss a limb your body contains the full 100% of the skeleton you can find in a person missing that limb.

      There still complete human beings even if their body has a unique challenge.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        59 months ago

        I appreciate what you’re saying here - people come in all shapes and sizes, with different abilities, limb counts, etc. Every one is a human being deserving respect and dignity.

        But OP didn’t say “a complete human being” - it said “a complete human skeleton.”

        If an individual is missing a limb, by birth or by accident, they don’t have a complete skeleton. It’s a plain fact. Doesn’t mean they are any less human.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            19 months ago

            Yeah kind of - I think “a complete body” is neither necessary or sufficient to make one a “human being.”

            For example, there are plenty of murderers, rapists, and pedos with “complete bodies,” that have entirely lost their humanity in commission of their crimes against humanity. (However, I will always argue that this can never be a justification to exact cruelty upon them, as we necessarily lose our humanity in that process).

            And there are so many people with “incomplete” bodies who are amazingly beautiful and strong human beings.