Function of the ear

• How our ears help us hear

  Vibration of air particles is directed down the ear canal by the outer ear and auricle into the middle ear. This causes the eardrum to vibrate, which passes the vibrations to the ossicle bones that amplify the vibrations, and passes it to the cochlea in the inner ear. The fluid in the cochlea sends waves that are detected by the hairs on the auditory nerve. This then sends a message to the brain which recognises and decodes what sound was heard.
• What causes a total loss of hearing?

  A severed auditory nerve as it stops messages from being sent to the brain to be decoded and recognised
• Auditory nerves


  Carries all of the information about the sound signals coming out of the receptor cells to the brain
• Ossicle bones


  Collection of bones that vibrate when the eardrum vibrates
• Cochlea


  Filled with fluid and tiny hairs attached to receptor cells, which set off an electrical signal along the auditory nerve to which the receptor cells are all collected.
• Eardrum


  Sound waves hit it and it vibrates at the same time as the sound coming in.
• Outer ear and auricle


  Where the sound waves are collected and directed down the ear canal
• Middle ear


  Where the sound is amplified and where the eardrum and ossicle bones are
• Inner ear


  Where sound is changed into electrical signals and sent along the auditory nerve where the brain decodes the signal so that it's recognised.
• Inner ear


  Where sound is changed into electrical signals and sent along the auditory nerve where the brain decodes the signal so that it's recognised.