Question

Explain the outer ear, middle ear and the inner ear briefly

Answer 1

The human ear consists of three parts – the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear.

(a)Outer ear: This is also called ‘pinna’. It collects the sound from the surrounding and directs it towards auditory canal.

(b)Middle ear: The sound reaches the end of the auditory canal where there is a thin membrane called eardrum or tympanic membrane. The sound waves set this membrane to vibrate. These vibrations are amplified by three small bones- hammer, anvil and stirrup.

(c)Inner ear: These vibration reach the cochlea in the inner ear and are converted into electrical signals which are sent to the brain by the auditory nerve, and the brain interprets them as sound.