How Sound Travels Through the Ear
Sound begins its journey when waves enter your outer ear, where the pinna collects and funnels them through the ear canal to the eardrum. When sound hits your eardrum, it begins to vibrate like a drum at a concert.
These vibrations set off a chain reaction in your middle ear. The malleus attaches directly to the eardrum, so it vibrates too, passing the movement to the incus and finally to the stapes. Think of these bones as a mechanical amplifier, making the vibrations stronger before sending them to the inner ear.
In your inner ear, the cochlea contains the organ of Corti where the actual hearing happens. The vibrating stapes causes fluid called perilymph to move, which stimulates specialized hair cells in the organ of Corti. These hair cells are actually modified neurons that convert the vibrations into electrical signals.
Finally, these electrical signals travel through the cochlear nerves to your brain, which interprets them as the sounds you hear - whether it's your favorite song, a friend's voice, or your teacher's lecture!
🔊 Remember: Sound moves through three transformations in your ear: air waves → mechanical vibrations → fluid movements → electrical signals to your brain.