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Pelvic Puzzle is an introductory lesson from HIP¨ Biology 1. Students use image processing to examine x-rays of hands, wings, hooves and flippers to compare their structures and functions. Image processing allows them to change the way the information contained in the x-rays is displayed. They use a variety of techniques to study the detail in the images.
This exercise makes use of the applet version of ImageJ. This version should shortly be running in a separate "ImageJ" window. The download will take a few seconds with an Ethernet connection or about two minutes using a 28.8 modem. Quit ImageJ by clicking on the "ImageJ" window's close button. When you go to the Windows version of one of the exercises below the ImageJ application will remain running in the background. (NOTE: ImageJ opens up without any problems using either Netscape of Internet Explorer on Windows. Internet Explorer 4.5 and above works fine on the Macintosh, but there is no Netscape support at this time on the Macintosh. . If you wish to download a version of ImageJ to your computer's hard drive so you can evaluate your own images a download can be obtained at the following site
Determining the sex of a pelvis
The sex of a human pelvis can be determined by the angle of the pubic arch. This angle is usually less than 100° for males and greater than 100° for females. You will use a model to practice measuring angles, then move on to real x-rays.Go to File, Open Samples on ImageJ and select Female_Male. Measure the angle of the female pubic arch using the Angle tool
. For this first measurement, there are guides on the image. Connect the dots. Then do Analyze/Measure. The angle measurement is displayed is saved in the Results window. Next, measure the angle of the male pubic arch.
1. What were the angles of these two arches? Do they match up with the values you expected for males and females?
X-ray analysis
Results window.
2. Make a table like the one shown on the right in which to record your data. Measure and record the angle of Dana's public arch. CloseDana, and repeat the procedure for Kris and the other X-Rays. 3. What is each person's sex? Explain your conclusions using your data.More Exploration
Terry's X-ray does not show all of the public arch, bur you can still determine Terry's sex. Is Terry a male or a female? Is there anything unusual about this x-ray?What function does the pelvis serve in your anatomy?What other parts of the hips might be different between males and females? Try measuring the width of the hip, or the angle of the ileum.
