Final answer:
The growth center of a long bone is the epiphyseal plate, not the diaphysis. The epiphyseal plate facilitates the lengthening of the bone as new osseous tissue replaces older cartilage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the growth center of the bone is the diaphysis is false. The actual growth center of a long bone is at the epiphyseal plate, also known as the growth plate. This is the region between the diaphysis, which is the main shaft of the bone, and the epiphysis, the end part of the bone. Bones grow in length when new bone tissue is added to the diaphysis via the activity of the epiphyseal plate. During the endochondral ossification process, chondrocytes divide on the epiphyseal side of the epiphyseal plate with one cell remaining undifferentiated near the epiphysis and the other moving towards the diaphysis, subsequently maturing, calcifying, and getting replaced by osseous tissue, resulting in bone lengthening.