Know how human ears help to perceive and distinguish sounds
The ear is the organ of hearing; it enables the perception of sound.
Created and produced by QA International. © QA International, 2010. All rights reserved. www.qa-international.com
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Worried about diphtheria? No? Thank vaccines.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Injuries that break skin can be painfully memorable.
-
© Massachusetts Institute of Technology (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Developing multifunctional fibers to deliver optical signals or drugs directly into the brain and to record neural activity.
-
© World Science Festival (A Britannica Publishing Partner)How humans and other mammals perceive sound.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Resist the urge to grab a cotton swab.
-
Courtesy of Northwestern University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Learn about the audiology department of the Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, and Learning, a nonprofit clinic at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
-
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about equilibrium, which is regulated by the inner ear, and vertigo.
Transcript
NARRATOR: The ear is the organ of hearing. It enables us to perceive and distinguish sounds. The outer ear is called the auricle. It is a cartilaginous horn that gathers sound vibrations and directs them to the external auditory canal. This canal leads to a thin membrane called the tympanic membrane, behind which is the cavity of the middle ear. The middle ear contains a group of three ossicles only a few millimeters long, the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup. The stirrup is in contact with the inner ear, which is composed of the cochlea and the cochlear nerve, as well as organs linked to balance.
Sounds are vibrations of the air. These vibrations captured by the auricle are routed into the external auditory canal. They are then transmitted from the tympanic membrane to the ossicles and finally to the cochlea in the inner ear. The cochlea is a small spiral-shaped organ formed by three parallel coiled canals: the cochlear canal, the tympanic ramp, and the vestibular ramp. Sonar vibrations enter the cochlea via the vestibular ramp. As they travel, they stimulate sensory organs, the organs of corti, which transform the vibratory movement into nerve impulses. These impulses are transmitted by the cochlear nerve to the cerebrum, where the sounds are analyzed in the auditory cortex.
Sounds are vibrations of the air. These vibrations captured by the auricle are routed into the external auditory canal. They are then transmitted from the tympanic membrane to the ossicles and finally to the cochlea in the inner ear. The cochlea is a small spiral-shaped organ formed by three parallel coiled canals: the cochlear canal, the tympanic ramp, and the vestibular ramp. Sonar vibrations enter the cochlea via the vestibular ramp. As they travel, they stimulate sensory organs, the organs of corti, which transform the vibratory movement into nerve impulses. These impulses are transmitted by the cochlear nerve to the cerebrum, where the sounds are analyzed in the auditory cortex.