Functions Of The Human Ear
The human ear can be functionally divided into four main sections:
The external ear, The middle ear, The inner ear, and The hearing processing centers of the brain. All four parts collaborate to produce sounds from outside the head to the brain and to process it.
The outer : The outer ear collects sound waves and drags them into the ear. This is also known as the external ear , which contains two parts: the "PINNA" which is the outside portion of the ear that is visible on the side of the head, and the ear canal that extends from the pinna to the eardrum. The pinna is mostly skin and cartilage with some muscular attachments to the back.
The middle ear:
The middle ear consists of an air-filled space between the eardrum and the inner ear that contains three tiny bones linked together that connect the eardrum to an opening into the inner ear. The eardrum is a concave shaped layer of membrane at the end of the ear canal. Sounds travel down the ear canal and strike the eardrum, causing it to vibrate.
The inner ear:
The inner ear is comprised of two functionally separate sections:
The "Vestibular" or balance part and the "Cochlea", which is the hearing part. These two parts are interconnected and each serves its own vital function.
The purpose of the vestibular portion is to help us sense acceleration and deceleration of both rotational and linear motion and to sense head position in relation to gravity.
The cochlea is a coiled canal in the dense bone tissue of the skull. The shape of this canal somewhat resembles a snail shell and houses three fluid-filled membranous canals extending its full length.
You can find and read more information at: http://www.audiologyawareness.com/hearinfo_howhear.asp
The external ear, The middle ear, The inner ear, and The hearing processing centers of the brain. All four parts collaborate to produce sounds from outside the head to the brain and to process it.
The outer : The outer ear collects sound waves and drags them into the ear. This is also known as the external ear , which contains two parts: the "PINNA" which is the outside portion of the ear that is visible on the side of the head, and the ear canal that extends from the pinna to the eardrum. The pinna is mostly skin and cartilage with some muscular attachments to the back.
The middle ear:
The middle ear consists of an air-filled space between the eardrum and the inner ear that contains three tiny bones linked together that connect the eardrum to an opening into the inner ear. The eardrum is a concave shaped layer of membrane at the end of the ear canal. Sounds travel down the ear canal and strike the eardrum, causing it to vibrate.
The inner ear:
The inner ear is comprised of two functionally separate sections:
The "Vestibular" or balance part and the "Cochlea", which is the hearing part. These two parts are interconnected and each serves its own vital function.
The purpose of the vestibular portion is to help us sense acceleration and deceleration of both rotational and linear motion and to sense head position in relation to gravity.
The cochlea is a coiled canal in the dense bone tissue of the skull. The shape of this canal somewhat resembles a snail shell and houses three fluid-filled membranous canals extending its full length.
You can find and read more information at: http://www.audiologyawareness.com/hearinfo_howhear.asp