How Does the Ear Work?
The function of the ear is to gather, transmit, and perceive sounds from the environment.
Parts of the Ear
This involves three stages:
- Outer ear. Modification of the acoustic wave by the outer ear, which receives the wave and directs it to the eardrum. Sound reaches the eardrum as variations in air pressure.
- Middle ear. Three small bones amplify and transmit the vibrations generated by the sound to the inner ear. They are called the:
- malleus (or hammer),
- incus (or anvil), and
- stapes (or stirrup)
- Inner ear. The vibrations from the middle ear are then transmitted as wave energy through the fluid within a snail-like structure called the cochlea in the inner ear. The cochlea is lined with many thousands of microscopic hair-like cells that move with the vibrations in the fluid and convert the waves into nerve impulses - the result is the sound we hear. If the vibrations are too intense, over time, these microscopic hairs can be damaged, causing hearing loss.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-2. How do the microscopic hairs in the inner ear produce the sound we hear?
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