Mechanics of Hearing for Humans

The simplest way to explain the way the human’s hearings work is that sound wave enters our
ear and is then processed into sound by our brain. To understand this better, we must first visualize
the ear and all of it anatomical parts such as the one shown below.

Figure 1 shows the mechanism of hearing of human ear. (Hawkins, 1998)

Our ear can be divided into three distinct areas which are each responsible for specific processes.
These areas are the outer ear, the middle ear and finally the inner ear. The first area is the outer ear
which consists of the auricle and the external auditory canal. In this area, sound waves, which is
basically vibrations carried throughout the air, are collected by the auricle and are then funneled into
the canal. The small size and immobility of the canal helps with enhancing the amount of sound being
funneled into the tympanic membrane, which is located at the middle ear, to be converted into
mechanical energies.

The middle ear consists of the tympanic membrane, also known as the eardrum, and the
ossicular chain which is three small bones known as the malleus, the incus and the stapes. When
vibrations are funneled from the canal to the tympanic membrane, the central portion of the
membrane vibrates as a stiff cone causing it to bend inwards and outwards thus creating deflections.
The vibration of the membrane depends on the sound’s power and frequency, the greater the sound’s
power, the greater the deflection and the higher the sound’s frequency, the faster the membranes
vibrates. These deflections and vibrations are then transferred to the first bone in the ossicular chain
which is the malleus, then to the incus and finally to the stapes. Thus, the vibrations are successfully
transferred from the membrane to the oval window of the cochlea, which is the inner ear area.
Another function of the ossicular chain is sound regulation by protecting our ear from continuous loud
noises. A continuous loud noise will stimulate a loop between the eardrum and the brain causing the
muscles of the ossicular chain to contract and tighten thus reducing the vibrations of the membrane
and lessening the impact of the sound. Because of this however, our ears are not protected from a
sudden loud burst of noise without the usage of protective equipment.

The inner ear, commonly referred to as the cochlea, is a hollowed snail-shaped fluid-filled
chamber. When vibrations from the middle ear reaches the inner ear through the oval windows, it
causes movements in the chamber’s fluids. These fluid’s movements set the nerve endings into motion
to transform the vibrations into electrical impulses which is then sent to the brain through the auditory
nerve. These electrical impulses will then be interpreted by our brain enabling us to hear sounds.
Inside the inner ear, there is also a structure called the Basilar membrane that is used to disperse and
sorts out the different frequencies of complex sounds. The membrane is stiff and have a low mass at
the base of the membrane and gradually becomes floppier and higher in mass as we travel to the
other end. It also have hair cells along it that acts like sensory cell to allow the vibrations to flow
through its up and down movements. Because of this, higher resonant frequencies will cause the base
end to vibrate while a lower resonant one cause the far end to vibrates thus enabling us humans to
analyze a more complex sound. A diagram showing the frequency and where it would be sorted out
at the basilar membrane can be seen below in Figure 2.

Figure 2 shows sound frequencies on the basilar membrane. (Hawkins, 1998)

Though sound is important in our life, much like everything else in this world, taking it in excess
can be harmful to us. Hearing loud sound for a certain period of time continuously or a one-time
exposure to an intense impulse-like sound can damage the structure of our inner ear and causes noise-
induced hearing loss (NIHL). According to the CDC, exposure to anything past 80 dB for more than 2
hours can cause damage to our hearing (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). NIHL are
mostly caused by the damage done to the hair cells at the basilar membrane. After exposure to intense
sound, the hair cell will be bent depending on how loud the sound is. This will cause your hearing to
be muffled for a period of time until the hair cells are straightened back up. However, if they were
exposed to it for a long period of time, some of the hair cells might die thus reducing your ability to
hear in noisy places. In addition to that, long-lasting loud noises can also damage the auditory nerves
making it harder for you to understand speech. Furthermore, a sudden loud burst of sound, like an
explosion, can cause your eardrum to rupture or damaged the ossicular chain in the middle ear causing
and immediate and permanent kind of hearing loss.

In conclusion, sound needed to be parsed through the outer, middle and inner ear, all of which
have certain tasks to fulfilled, to turn the vibrations in to electrical impulses to allow the brain to
interprets it. The ears are filled with various fragile anatomical parts that is important to our hearing.
Any damages toward any part could cause at best a temporary hearing loss and at worst a permanent
one.
Reference:

1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, October 7). What Noises Cause Hearing

Loss? | NCEH | CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html

2. Hawkins, J. E. (1998, September 16). human ear - The physiology of hearing. Encyclopedia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/ear/The-physiology-of-hearing