Your-Ears

The ear has three main parts: the outer, middle and inner ear.

The part of the ear we can grab hold of is called the pinna. It is designed to collect and funnel sound down your ear canal to the eardrum. Some people think the eardrum is what lets you hear, but it is only part to the story. The eardrum is a drumhead that in turn transfers its motion through the three tiniest bones in the body, the ossicles. These 3 bones increase the vibration and send it through the oval window to the cochlea. The cochlea is the organ of hearing. It is where the vibrations of sound are turned into electrical signals that travel to the brain. Where does this happen in the cochlea? At the hair cells! The hair cells move in response to the waves caused by the vibration and generate electrical signals. These signals travel through the auditory nerve to the brain. The brain understands these signals as sound.