inertial bone conduction

Inertial bone conduction is a method of hearing where low-frequency sounds cause the entire skull to vibrate. This movement of the skull, while the suspended sensory parts of the inner ear remain relatively still due to inertia, stimulates the sound-perceiving cells. This creates the perception of sound, similar to how airborne sound waves would stimulate these parts if the skull were stationary. This contrasts with compressional bone conduction, where high-frequency sounds cause skull segments to vibrate, directly compressing the inner ear's bony case. Inertial bone conduction is particularly relevant for lower frequencies, below 1,500 hertz.12