Stride lengths have been measured from dinosaur footprints, preserved as impressions in rock, and have been used to calculate the speeds at which the animals walked or ran. The dimensions of dinosaur leg bones have been measured and have been used to calculate an index that relates bone strength to body weight and indicates their likely athletic ability. Both studies depend on the concept of dynamic similarity, and are firmly based in physical sciences, but their conclusions should be treated cautiously because they depend on questionable assumptions and are subject to many potential sources of error.
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