Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: mamelukesabre

As a small child, the strongest finger on your hand is your thumb. Then a little older, your index finger becomes the strongest. By adulthood, males have the middle finger the strongest on their hand and usually by middle age the ring finger becomes tied with the middle in terms of strength.


Seriously, your post is absolutely fascinating. I’m a drum student (new to it at middle age) and finger and hand strength is critical. Where did you learn all this, and where can I learn more?

It makes me want to experiment withe different ways to hold the drumsticks.


32 posted on 11/30/2010 7:01:00 PM PST by Atlas Sneezed ("If you touch my junk, I'm gonna have you arrested.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies ]


To: Beelzebubba

No idea. My brain is a magnet for odd trivia. Also I have a knack for spotting patterns and from a very young age have been fascinated by biology, especially mammals...bones and muscle structures etc. Machines too, but I see bone and muscles as a machine.

Here’s another bit of trivia for ya

If there was to be a land race between a perfect specimen of every species, and the race was to have only one rule...no stopping...and the winner was whoever traversed the greatest distance before death, what species would win?(no flying or swimming allowed, and speed not a consideration)

answer: a human.

Several reasons why. The first is fat stores. Not too many animals store fat like a human. Sea creatures do, but not land animals. Pigs, horses, camels, and that’s about it, and they don’t do it quite as much as humans.

another is leg type.

bent legs are less efficient than straight legs. The only animals I can think of off the top of my head that stand/walk with straight legs are camels and elephants...and those I don’t think are perfectly straight. A human stands with perfectly straight legs...almost no muscle exertion required to keep the leg from collapsing under body weight.

another is bipedalism

Two legs are far more efficient than 4 legs. Kangaroos are very efficient but because they don’t stand up straight they aren’t as efficient as humans.(one reason that is)

The biggest reason is the human foot. Our feet are designed to have two arches...one arch from heel to toes, and the other arch from big toe to little toe. These arches provide the most efficient “springs” of any foot in the animal kingdom.

There are other minor reasons. Hair placement. Hair only on the top for sun block, and the rest naked for better heat dissipation. Breathing muscles operate independently from locomotion. 4 legged critters must tighten up their torso when their legs are in “thrust” mode and this means their breathing works best if timed with their stride. human noses are exceptionally efficient at recycling moisture from exhaled air. A long thin piece of flesh sticking out from the head that is cooler than the rest of the body is a phenomenal moisture collector. Humans lose less moisture per unit of air inhaled/exhaled than other creatures.

But back to your question, where to learn more...I would say read up on robot hands. Those guys that are building robot hands know more about human hands than anyone on the planet. They go on and on about how perfect a machine the human hand is.


38 posted on 11/30/2010 8:03:31 PM PST by mamelukesabre (Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (If you want peace prepare for war))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson