The Five Senses: Hearing

How your ears work

Your ears

Your ears are in charge of collecting the sounds around you, processing them, and sending sound signals to your brain. They also help you keep your balance. 

The ear is made up of three different sections: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. These parts all work together so you can hear and process sounds.

The Outer Ear:

The outer ear is called the pinna or auricle, which collects sounds. The outer ear also includes the ear canal, where earwax is produced. Earwax protects the canal and contains chemicals that fight off infections that could hurt the skin inside the ear canal. It also collects dirt to help keep the ear canal clean. 

The Middle Ear: 

After sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and make their way to the middle ear. The middle ear's main job is to take those sound waves and turn them into vibrations that are delivered to the inner ear. To do this, it needs the eardrum, which is a thin piece of skin stretched tight like a drum.

The eardrum separates the outer ear from the middle ear and the ossicles: the three tiniest, most delicate bones in your body. They include:

• the hammer , which is attached to the eardrum.
• the anvil, which is attached to the hammer. 
• the stirrup, the smallest bone in the body, which is attached to the anvil. 

When sound waves reach the eardrum, they cause the eardrum to vibrate. When the eardrum vibrates, it moves the tiny ossicles — from the hammer to the anvil and then to the stirrup. These bones help sound move along on its journey into the inner ear.

The Inner Ear: Nerve Signals Start Here

Sound comes into the inner ear as vibrations and enters the cochlea, a small, curled tube in the inner ear. The cochlea is filled with liquid, which is set into motion, like a wave, when the ossicles vibrate.

The cochlea is also lined with tiny cells covered in tiny hairs. When sound reaches the cochlea, the vibrations (sound) cause the hairs on the cells to move, creating nerve signals that go through the auditory nerve to the brain, which interprets them so you can hear.

How hearing works

Balance

Ears keep you balanced, too. In the inner ear, there are three small loops above the cochlea called semicircular canals, which are filled with liquid and have thousands of microscopic hairs.

When you move your head, the liquid in the semicircular canals moves too. The liquid moves the tiny hairs, which send a nerve message to your brain about the position of your head. In less than a second, your brain sends messages to the right muscles so that you keep your balance.

Don't forget to look after your ears!

Your ears take care of you, so take care of them. Protect your hearing by wearing earplugs at loud music concerts  and around noisy machinery. Keep the volume down on your stereo, especially if you're in the car or wearing headphones. And one last thing — don't go poking around in your ears, even with cotton swabs. 

(Information taken  and adapted from: https://kidshealth.org)

A song about your ears and hearing... Enjoy it!