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    How Sounds Travel To Our Ears

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    lj8075702
    The document describes the four step process of how sound travels to the brain. In step 1, sound waves enter the outer ear. In step 2, sound moves through the middle ear and is amplified by the ossicles. In step 3, sound moves through the inner ear and is converted to electrical signals. Finally, in step 4, the brain interprets these signals.

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    How Sounds Travel To Our Ears

    Uploaded by

    lj8075702
    5 views23 pages
    The document describes the four step process of how sound travels to the brain. In step 1, sound waves enter the outer ear. In step 2, sound moves through the middle ear and is amplified by the ossicles. In step 3, sound moves through the inner ear and is converted to electrical signals. Finally, in step 4, the brain interprets these signals.

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    how sounds travel to our ears

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    The document describes the four step process of how sound travels to the brain. In step 1, sound waves enter the outer ear. In step 2, sound moves through the middle ear and is amplified by the ossicles. In step 3, sound moves through the inner ear and is converted to electrical signals. Finally, in step 4, the brain interprets these signals.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    5 views23 pages

    How Sounds Travel To Our Ears

    Uploaded by

    lj8075702
    The document describes the four step process of how sound travels to the brain. In step 1, sound waves enter the outer ear. In step 2, sound moves through the middle ear and is amplified by the ossicles. In step 3, sound moves through the inner ear and is converted to electrical signals. Finally, in step 4, the brain interprets these signals.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 23

    How we Hear?

    A Step-by-Step
    Explanation
    Step 1: Sound waves enter the ear .

    When a sound occurs, it enters the outer ear, also


    referred to as the pinna or auricle. The pinna is the
    visible portion of your ear, and its funnel-like shape is
    well-engineered: As sound hits the pinna, it filters and
    amplifies sound waves, and chutes them along into the
    ear canal.
    Next, sound waves hit the eardrum, or tympanic
    membrane, setting it in motion. “The eardrum is a
    paper-thin layer of a membrane that essentially
    vibrates as soon as sound waves hit it—very similar to
    a drum,”
    Pinna Eardrum
    Step 2: Sound moves through the middle ear

    Behind the eardrum


    is the middle ear. In this
    part of the ear's anatomy,
    sound waves are amplified
    before they are delivered to
    the inner ear.
    Continuation……….

    The eardrum is attached to a


    chain of three small bones, known
    as the ossicles. These three bones
    are the smallest ones in your
    body. When the eardrum vibrates
    in response to sound waves, these
    bones are set into motion as well.
    Continuation……….

    The bone directly attached to


    the eardrum is the malleus (“the
    hammer”), which is connected at
    its other end to the incus (“the
    anvil”). The incus, in turn, is
    attached to the stapes (the “stirrup”
    or “footplate”).
    Continuation……….

    This last bone—the stapes—is


    connected to the oval window,
    which is a membrane separating
    the middle ear from the inner ear.
    Continuation……….

    The orientation of the three


    bones allows them to function as
    a lever, amplifying the sound energy
    as it moves from the relatively large
    tympanic membrane to the relatively
    small oval window.
    Step 3: Sound moves through the inner ear (the
    cochlea)

    Vibrations from the stapes push on the


    oval window, and set up pressure waves in
    the fluid-filled cochlea, the snail-
    shaped inner ear that contains the organ of
    Corti. In the organ of Corti, vibrations are
    finally transformed into electrical energy
    by cells known as hair cells (stereocilia).
    Continuation……….

    The tiny hair cells lining the cochlea are


    stimulated by different frequencies. For
    example, many people with hearing loss have
    high-frequency hearing loss, making it harder to
    hear high-pitched sounds. This means the hair
    cells responsible for detecting high frequencies
    are damaged. (While less common, some people
    have low-frequency hearing loss or
    mid-range hearing loss.)
    Step 4: Your brain interprets the signal

    Brain cells, known as


    sensory neurons, transmit the sound
    information to various areas of the
    brain, including the thalamus,
    temporal lobe, and auditory cortex.
    These are known as the
    auditory pathways.
    Continuation……….

    The auditory pathways process and decode


    sounds, turning them into something
    meaningful, like a question, a honking horn, or
    music. They also help distinguish between
    nearby, important sounds and less vital
    background sounds, as well as processing the
    direction and location of sounds.
    Summary

    Once sound is converted to


    electrical signals in the cochlea, these
    signals travel via a complex circuit of
    auditory nerve pathways to the
    auditory cortex and other parts of the
    brain that regulate awareness and
    sensory perception.
    Answers
    Activity

    Direction: Identify in what steps


    the following fall in the steps of
    how the sound travels to our ear.
    1.

    When a sound occurs, it


    enters the outer ear, also
    referred to as the pinna or
    auricle.
    2

    Vibrations from the stapes push on


    the oval window, and set up pressure
    waves in the fluid-filled cochlea, the
    snail-shaped inner ear that contains
    the organ of Corti.
    3.

    Brain cells, known as


    sensory neurons, transmit the sound
    information to various areas of the
    brain, including the thalamus,
    temporal lobe, and auditory cortex.
    4.

    The bone directly attached to the


    eardrum is the malleus (“the
    hammer”), which is connected at its
    other end to the incus (“the anvil”).
    The incus, in turn, is attached to the
    stapes (the “stirrup” or “footplate”).
    Answers

    1. Step 1
    2. Step 3
    3. Step 4
    4. Step 2

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