audition and balance

• outer ear - part of the ear that is visible
• middle ear - suspended in a ring-shaped groove in the temporal bone and vibrates freely to sound
• inner ear - lies between the middle ear and the internal acoustic meatus
• cochlea - hearing part of the inner ear
• the human ear can distinguish between 7000 different pitches and able to locate them
• equilibrium - allows us to move smoothly, maintain a sense of balance and sit and stand upright
• vestibular labyrinth - five vestibular receptor
• otoliths - similar organs lie against the walls of the inner ear between the semicircular ducts and the cochlea