Library · Anatomy
Ear
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The ear is the organ we hear with, and it is organized into three parts: outer, middle, and inner.
What it does is called transduction: converting sound waves, which are vibrations, into electrochemical impulses, the form in which signals travel through the nervous system. The outer ear carries in the wave coming from outside. The middle ear passes the vibration along through its three ossicles, the malleus, the incus, and the stapes. The inner ear houses the cochlea. It is a relay chain: air, bone, and finally a signal.
Next to the cochlea, in that same inner ear, are the semicircular canals. Those are not for hearing: they sense balance.
In brief
The ear is the organ of hearing and is organized into three structures: outer, middle, and inner.
It detects sound by transduction, which converts sound waves into electrochemical impulses: the outer ear carries the wave in, the three ossicles of the middle ear (malleus, incus, and stapes) pass the vibration along, and the inner ear houses the cochlea.
It is a relay chain: air, bone, and finally a signal.
Next to the cochlea, in that same inner ear, are the semicircular canals, which sense balance.
Sources (2)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingNeuroanatomy, Ear, StatPearlsPublished
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPhysiology, Ear, StatPearlsPublished
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