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Prone position

Prone position is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Prone position rather than just read about it. In short: Prone position () is a body position in which a person lies flat with their chest down and their back up. In anatomical terms of location, the dorsal or posterior side is facing up, and the ventral or anterior side is facing down.

Prone position — main illustration
Prone position — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Prone position belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Prone position to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Prone position from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Prone position () is a body position in which a person lies flat with their chest down and their back up. In anatomical terms of location, the dorsal or posterior side is facing up, and the ventral or anterior side is facing down. The supine position is the prone position's contrast, rotated 180°. To move into prone position is to pronate.

Etymology The word prone, meaning "naturally inclined to something, apt, liable," has been recorded in English since 1382; the meaning "lying face-down" was first recorded in 1578. It is also referred to as "lying down" or "going prone." Prone derives from the Latin pronus, meaning "bent forward, inclined to," from the adverbial form of the prefix pro- "forward." Both the original, literal, and the derived figurative sense were used in Latin, but the figurative is older in English.

Anatomy

In anatomy, the prone position is a position of the human body lying face down. It is opposed to the supine position which is face up. Using the terms defined in the anatomical position, the ventral side is down, and the dorsal side is up. Concerning the forearm, prone refers to that configuration where the palm of the hand is directed posteriorly, and the radius and ulna are crossed. Researchers observed that the expiratory reserve volume measured at relaxation volume increased from supine to prone by the factor of 0.15.

Shooting

In competitive shooting, the prone position is the position of a shooter lying face down on the ground. It is considered the easiest and most accurate position as the ground provides extra stability. It is one of the positions in three positions events. For many years (1932–2016), the only purely prone Olympic event was the 50 meter rifle prone; however, this has since been dropped from the Olympic program. Both men and women still have the 50 meter rifle three positions as an Olympic shooting event. Prone position is often used in military combat because the prone position provides the best accuracy and stability (as well as shrinking the shooter's profile). Many first-person shooter video games also allow the player character to go into the prone position, again with similar benefits.

Fullbore target rifle

The non-ISSF fullbore disciplines governed by the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations (ICFRA) are exclusively shot from the prone position over distances of 300–1,200 yards. These disciplines are popular in Commonwealth countries, and are heavily influenced by the British National Rifle Association.

Biathlon

In Biathlon, prone is one of two positions that athletes shoot from during competition, the other being standing. In the prone position biathletes, set the their poles down to their side or rear, flip open their snow covers, load their rifle, and lay on a designated shooting mat at a designated lane to perform their shooting stage. Using a system of kneeling and removal of the rifle from the athletes back, the biathlete loads their rifle and takes off their poles all on this shooting mat at a designated shooting lane. Prone lanes are specified by a visual sign., typically showing the position and an arrow. These lanes are typically assigned to the further half or right half of the range. Additionally, in this position biathletes, use a prone sling which is attached by a hook onto an armband worn on the non-shooting arm around the bicep of the biathlete. The biathlete takes aim at 5 targets with diameters of 115mm but hit zones of only 45mm. Hitting these targets allows biathletes to avoid either, the use of spare rounds of ammunition which must be hand loaded into the chamber, the skiing of mandatory penalty loops or the imposition of time penalties depending on the biathlon event in which the shooter is participating. The number of penalties, or loops to ski directly corresponds with the missed targets in the stage however, only 3 cartridge are given for any prone stage when spare rounds are available.

Pilots

The prone position is also used to describe the way pilots and other crew may be positioned in an aircraft; lying on their stomachs rather than seated in a normal upright position. During World War II, the bomb aimer in some bombers would be positioned this way to be better able to view the ground through a transparent panel or bubble in the nose of a bomber. Later, it was suggested that a pilot in the prone position might be more effective in some kinds of high-speed aircraft, because it would permit the pilot to withstand a greater g-force in the upward and downward direction with respect to the plane, and many speculative designs of the 1950s featured this arrangement. However, it never became mainstream, as testing revealed that the increased difficulty of operating aircraft controls in the prone position outweighed the advantages. Three examples of this approach are seen in the Savoia-Marchetti SM.93, the Gloster Meteor F8 "Prone Pilot", and the Northrop XP-79. Modern hang gliders are typically piloted in the prone position.

See also

References

Sources

Etymonline

Illustrations

Prone position: Supine position and prone position
Supine position and prone position
Prone position: A child reading a book in prone position
A child reading a book in prone position
Prone position: A postcard of a woman on a beach in prone position
A postcard of a woman on a beach in prone position
Prone position: U.S. Navy sailors in the prone position during service rifle qualification training
U.S. Navy sailors in the prone position during service rifle qualification training
Prone position: Canadian Cadets firing fullbore target rifles prone
Canadian Cadets firing fullbore target rifles prone

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Prone position

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Prone position claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Prone position before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Prone position ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Prone position

In research
Prone position appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Prone position in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Prone position is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Anatomy, Human positions, Shooting positions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Prone position outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Prone position in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Prone position means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Prone position out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prone position in simple terms?

Prone position () is a body position in which a person lies flat with their chest down and their back up. In anatomical terms of location, the dorsal or posterior side is facing up, and the ventral or anterior side is facing down.

Why does Prone position matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Prone position?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Prone position.

Tags

  • Anatomy
  • Human positions
  • Shooting positions

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