Anthropology The relationship between the length of an adults femur (thigh bone) and the

Chapter 0, Problem 185

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Anthropology The relationship between the length of an adults femur (thigh bone) and the height of the adult can be approximated by the linear equations Female Male where is the length of the femur in inches and is the height of the adult in inches (see figure). (a) An anthropologist discovers a femur belonging to an adult human female. The bone is 16 inches long. Estimate the height of the female. (b) From the foot bones of an adult human male, an anthropologist estimates that the persons height was 69 inches. A few feet away from the site where the foot bones were discovered, the anthropologist discovers a male adult femur that is 19 inches long. Is it likely that both the foot bones and the thigh bone came from the same person? (c) Complete the table to determine if there is a height of an adult for which an anthropologist would not be able to determine whether the femur belonged to a male or a female.