Hearing is such an important part of our lives, it helps us to stay connected to the people and to the world by enabling us to communicate, socialize, work, relax and keeps us safe from any potential danger. Operated by the tiniest organ in our body, our ear never stop to work even in our sleep. So, how do your ears actually work?

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Structure of the ear

The ear is made up of three sections - and its major components

  a. Outer ear - the ear canal and the pinna

  b. Middle ear - the eardrum, the ossicles, and the eustachian tube

  c. Inner ear - the cochlear, the vestibule and the semicircular canal

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How do we hear sound?

Hearing starts with the outer ear. When we are in the space with a sound source(s), our pinna will collect the sounds and funneling it to the ear canal. These funneled sounds (in the form of sound waves) will travel down the ear canal and strikes the eardrum, causing it to be vibrated.

 

The vibration of the eardrum further caused to the movement of the ossicles. One of the ossicles namely the stapes has its end attached to the fluid filled cochlear via the round window. When the ossicles move, the stapes will push its end into and away from the round window causing the fluid in the cochlear to be displaced.

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The fluid displacement in the cochlear will caused the cochlear's hair cells to move, and thus, generate the electrical signals (impulses). These electrical signals are sends to the brain from the cochlear's hair cells via the auditory nerve.

 

The brain then translate these electrical signals as the sounds. This whole events happen repetitively non-stop throughout the presence of the sounds.