Humans have seven pairs of true ribs.
Understanding True Ribs
The rib cage, also known as the thoracic cage, protects vital organs such as the heart and lungs. It's composed of ribs, the sternum (breastbone), and the thoracic vertebrae (backbone). Ribs are classified into three types: true ribs, false ribs, and floating ribs.
- True ribs (Vertebrosternal ribs): These are the first seven pairs of ribs (ribs 1-7). They connect directly to the sternum via costal cartilage.
- False ribs (Vertebrochondral ribs): Ribs 8, 9, and 10 are false ribs. They indirectly attach to the sternum by connecting to the cartilage of the rib above.
- Floating ribs: Ribs 11 and 12 are floating ribs, meaning they don't attach to the sternum at all.
The reference states that "The first seven pairs are attached directly to the sternum by costal cartilages and are called true ribs." This confirms our understanding of the number of true ribs. Therefore, there are 7 pairs, or a total of 14 true ribs in the human body.
