- Explain how the human ear works.
Answers
Answer:
The human ear converts sound into understandable form by brain. The outer ear collects the sound from the surroundings. It is passed through the auditory canal. At the end of the auditory canal there is a thin membrane called the eardrum or tympanic membrane. The vibrations of the sound waves are transferred to the eardrum. These vibrations are amplified several times by three bones (the hammer, anvil and stirrup) in the middle ear. The middle ear transmits the amplified pressure variations received from the sound wave to the inner ear. In the inner ear, the pressure variations are turned into electrical signals by the cochlea. These electrical signals are sent to the brain via the auditory nerve and the brain interprets them as sound.
The medical term that is used for the outer ear is auricle or pinna. It is made up of cartilage and skin. There are three different parts of of the outer ear and they are tragus, helix, and lobule.
The outer part of the ear collects the sound which travels through the auricle from it travels through the auditory canal, and ends at the eardrum.
Ear Canal:
The ear canal starts at the outer ear and ends at the ear drum. The approximate length of the ear canal is an inch. It is very sensitive to pain and pressure. Under the skin there is cartilage which occupies one third space and two third is used by the bone.
Ear Drum:
In medical terms, ear drum is known as tympanic membrane and the size remains the same in the new born baby and in the adult. The ear drum is a transparent gray membrane and the center part of the drum is the middle ear bone known as malleus.
Middle ear:
The middle ear is the part of the ear between the eardrum and the oval window. The sound from the outer ear to inner ear is transmitted through the middle ear. Malleus or the hammer, the anvil or incus, and the stirrup or stapes are the three bones that are part of middle ear. The oval window, the round window, and the eustrachian tube are the parts of the middle ear.
Inner ear:
The inner ear is the innermost part of the ear. It consists of the cochlea, the balance mechanism, the vestibular, and the auditory nerve. The sound waves before entering the inner ear, they travel through the oval window. The inner ear has tubes and passages in the maze form and is known as labyrinth. These vibration reach the cochlea in the inner ear and are converted into electrical signals which are sent to the brain by the auditory nerve, and the brain interprets them as sound.