# Facts



## soccer50 (May 8, 2003)

Did anyone know that the thigh bone is harder than reinforced concrete? WOW. I read this from a doctors book.


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## Cthulhu (May 8, 2003)

_Harder_ or _stronger_?  There's a difference.

Cthulhu


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## soccer50 (May 8, 2003)

stronger than concrete is the same as harder than concrete


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## Wmarden (May 8, 2003)

Hardness is only one component of strength.


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## Cthulhu (May 8, 2003)

Living bone is fairly soft, especially compared to concrete, meaning the concrete is harder.  However, some bones are theoretically less resistant to breakage than concrete, which makes them stronger.

Hardness usually refers to resistance to scratching or marring.  Strength, resistance to breakage.

Of course, with slight rewording, your original statement could be made more accurate:

"...the thigh bone _is harder to break_ than reinforced concrete."

Cthulhu


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## lost_tortoise (May 13, 2003)

Yes, the femur's incredible strength and resilience also accounts for its reliability in investigating child abuse.  If a parent brings in a child with a broken femur and says they fell off a chair, that should raise the hairs on your neck.


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## Abbax8 (May 13, 2003)

Reinforced concrete is very strong due to the steel rebar that reinforces it. In construction, concrete provides mass and stability, the steel provides the weight bearing strength. A solid concrete block is fairly easy to break, drop one from 5 or 10 feet onto a hard surface and see the results. Concrete is strong in compression.

                                                              Peace
                                                               Dennis


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