chapter 1 part 5 planes

Question 1

At times it is useful to describe the body as having imaginary flat surfaces, called

Answer 1

planes passing through it

Question 2

A plane divides, or sections, the body,

Answer 2

making it possible to “look inside” and observe the body’s structures.

Question 3

A sagittal (SAJ-ih-tal) plane

Answer 3

separates the body or a structure into right and left halves.

Question 4

The word sagittal means

Answer 4

“the flight of an arrow” and refers to the way the

body would be split by an arrow passing anteriorly to posteriorly.

Question 5

A median plane

Answer 5

is a sagittal plane that passes through the midline of the body,
dividing it into equal right and left halves.

Question 6

A transverse (horizontal) plane

Answer 6

runs parallel to the ground, dividing the body into superior and inferior portions.

Question 7

A frontal (coronal) (KOR-oh-nal; crown) plane

Answer 7

divides the body into front
(anterior) and back (posterior) halves. For example, the coronal suture on the skull
is located across the top, where a person might wear a crown.

Question 8

Organs are often sectioned

Answer 8

to reveal their internal structure

Question 9

A longitudinal section

Answer 9

is a cut along the length of the organ, similar to the cut along a hot dog bun.

Question 10

A transverse section, or cross section,

Answer 10

cuts completely through an organ, similar to cutting a hot dog or banana into
round pieces.

Question 11

If a cut is made diagonally across the long axis,

Answer 11

it is called an oblique section.