alleryStart learning →Why do skeletal muscles such as the biceps and the triceps occur in opposing pairs?
ABecause each muscle can only expand
BBecause each pair shares one tendon
CBecause paired muscles halve the load
DBecause each muscle can only contract
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Because each muscle can only contract
1. A muscle can pull but cannot push, since it can only contract.
2. One muscle is therefore needed to close a limb and a second to open it again.
3. That is why skeletal muscles are arranged in opposing pairs across a joint.
4. Halving the load is not the reason, since the two muscles of a pair rarely act at once.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 9 "Statics and Torque", section 9.6 Forces and Torques in Muscles and Joints_
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