[Class-9]

CHAPTER: - SENSE ORGANS -EAR

LESSON -11

Learn this lesson in 1 day. On the 2nd day solve the worksheet given in the last page. Copy the
questions and write the answers in homework copies. You need to submit this once school
reopens.

Objectives: After this lesson, students will be able to understand the structure and function of eye
and ear in detail.

The following videos will help you to understand the lesson better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jyxhozq89g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPHuiYInOsg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98-6WfdumZY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMIMvBa8XGs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSHnGO9qGsE

Video courtesy: Javitz Production, Dr. Bhanu Prakash Animated Medical Videos, Khan Academy,
Fauquier ENT, Sixesfullofnines.

Solution to exercise questions of concise biology class 10 chapter: Sense organs

[by Byjus]
https://byjus.com/icse-selina-solution-concise-biology-class-10-chapter-11-
sense-organs/

Content:

֎ Brief idea about receptors.

֎ Structure and function of ear.
Learning activity

Day 1

❖ Sense organs: The sense organs enable us to be informed about external and internal
environment.
❖ The major sense organs are eyes, ear, tongue, nose and skin.
❖ The eyes are sensitive to light,
❖ ears are sensitive to sound,
❖ tongue is sensitive to taste,
❖ nose is sensitive to smell and
❖ skin is sensitive to touch.
❖ Sense organ has the ability to sense a stimulus.
❖ The stimuli may be mechanical produced by touch or pressure.
❖ The stimuli may be chemical caused by taste and smell.
❖ The stimuli may be thermal caused by heat and cold.
❖ Light caused by light energy.
❖ Sound caused by sound waves.

RECEPTORS

The sensation is perceived by the sensory cells located in sense organs. These cells are called
receptors. Receptor is any specialized tissue or cell sensitive to a specific stimulus.

Mechanoreceptors: These are the receptors for touch, pressure of skin due to mechanical change.

Chemoreceptors: These are the receptors of taste of the tongue and smell of the nose due to
chemical influences.

Photoreceptors: These are rods and cones of eyes which receive light.

Thermoreceptors: These are heat and cold receptors in the skin due to the change in temperature.

Phono receptors: These are receptors for sound.

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF EAR

Ear is the organ of hearing and balance. The human ear is composed of 3 parts:

❖ Outer ear
❖ Middle ear
❖ Inner ear
OUTER EAR

It consists of pinna, auditory canal and ear drum.

❖ Pinna:
o It is a cartilaginous structure on either side of the head.
o It is shaped like a curled shell.
o Function: It gathers sound waves and direct them into the auditory canal.

❖ Auditory canal:
o It is a 2.5 cm long tunnel.
o It ends at the ear drum.
o At its opening, the canal contains few hairs and specialised sebaceous glands which secrete
earwax.
o The combination of hair and earwax prevents the entry of dust and any foreign particles into
the ear.
o Function: The auditory canal is the passage for sounds waves leading to the eardrum.

❖ Ear drum/ tympanic membrane:

o It is a thin membrane lies between the outer and middle ear.
o It is stretched tight like a drum head.
o Function: It separates the outer ear from the middle ear. When sound waves reach
the tympanic membrane, they cause it to vibrate. The vibrations are then transferred to the
tiny bones in the middle ear. The middle ear bones then transfer the vibrating signals to the
inner ear.
MIDDLE EAR

. [The Middle ear is a small air-filled cavity.

o It contains three small bones- malleus [hammer], incus [anvil] and

stapes [stirrup] and a tube, named eustachian tube which
connects middle ear with throat malleus/ hammer is a hammer-
shaped small bone of the middle ear, the incus/ anvil is so-
called because of its resemblance to an anvil, the bone stapes/
stirrup is so-named because of its resemblance to a stirrup]
o Malleus, incus and stapes are collectively called ear ossicles.
o The handle of hammer bone is attached to the inner surface of ear
drum and its opposite end is connected to the anvil which is joined
to stapes.
o Function: The ear ossicles transmit the vibration to the inner ear.

Stirrup

o The flat part of stapes fits on a membrane covered window called, oval window or fenestra
ovalis.
o Function: The oval window separates air filled middle ear from the fluid filled inner ear.
o A second opening called round window which is also covered by membrane and it connects
the middle and the inner ear.
o The anterior wall of middle ear contains an opening that leads into the eustachian tube
which connects the middle ear to the throat.
o The tube normally remains closed but opens during swallowing and yawning to allow
atmospheric air to enter or leave the middle ear until pressure on both sides of the eardrum
are equalised.
o Function: the eustachian tube helps to equalise the air pressure on either side of eardrum.
INNER EAR

It is also called membranous labyrinth. It is situated in a fluid filled

cavity. The fluid is endolymph. It is made up of 3 parts cochlea,
semicircular canals and vestibule.

o Cochlea:
✓ Cochlea is a long spiral-shaped tube, coiled like a snail shell.
✓ It has two and a half turns.
✓ The cavity of cochlea is divided into 3 parallel canals which
are separated by two membranes.
✓ These 3 canals are vestibular canal, cochlear canal and
tympanic canal.
✓ The basilar membrane forms the floor of cochlear canal and Reissner’s membrane forms the
roof.
✓ The outer vestibular canal and inner tympanic canal are filled with perilymph whereas
middle cochlear canal is filled with endolymph.
✓ The basilar membrane contains organ of corti [organ of hearing].
✓ The organ of corti contains the sensory cells and hair cells.
✓ These cells are joined with auditory nerve.

The organ of corti contains hairs of different lengths. The shorter the length, the greater is the
frequency with which it vibrates. Hence, a high pitch sound is produced.

The long hairs vibrate with a lower frequency and produces a low pitch sound.
Day-2

o Semicircular canal:
✓ It is a set of three fluid filled canals arranged at right angles to each other.
✓ These canals are arranged in different planes so that one is horizontal and the other two are
vertical.
✓ The cavity of semicircular canal is filled with endolymph.
✓ One end of each canal is swollen to form an ampulla.
✓ Each ampulla contains a bunch of sensory cells called cristae.
✓ The cristae contain the sensory cells for dynamic balance. [It is the maintenance of body
position in response to movement]

o Vestibule:
✓ It constitutes the oval central portion of the labyrinth.
✓ It consists of two sacs called utriculus and sacculus.
✓ These sacs are connected with each other by a small duct.
✓ The vestibule contains sensory cells for static equilibrium. [It is the orientation of the body
relative to the pull of the gravity]
 MECHANISM OF HEARING AND BALANCE

HEARING
o The pinna collects the sound waves and transmits them through the auditory canal to the
eardrum.
o The eardrum vibrates with the sound waves frequency, converts sound waves into
mechanical vibrations.
o The eustachian tube equalises the air pressure on either side of eardrum allowing it to
vibrate freely.
o The vibrations are imparted to the ear ossicles [malleus, incus and stapes].
o The vibration of the stapes is magnified due to lever-like action of the first two ossicles.
o The stapes relays the sound waves to the oval window membrane which causes vibrations of
the perilymph in the vestibular and tympanic canal.
o Sensory hair cells in the organ of corti are stimulated by the vibrations and send nerve
impulses via the auditory nerve to cerebral cortex.
o The neurons of the cerebral cortex are stimulated and the interpretation of the impulses by
the brain results in hearing.
BALANCE

STATIC BALANCE

Q. What is static balance?

Ans: It is the orientation of the body relative to the pull of the gravity.

Q. Which part of human ear is responsible for static balance?

Ans: Vestibule.

MECHANISM

o Utriculus and sacculus of vestibule are responsible for static balance.

o These respond to changes in position of head with respect to gravity.
o Vestibule contains sensory hair cells and small particles of CaCO3, named otoliths.
o When the head is tilted from its normal position, the otoliths move towards the tilt and
strike against the sensory hair at an angle different from the normal position.
o The hair cells get stimulated and the stimuli are picked up by the fibres of auditory nerve and
are passed on to the brain.
o From brain, the necessary orders are sent through motor neurons to return the body to its
normal position.

DYNAMIC BALANCE

Q. What is dynamic balance?

Ans: It is the maintenance of body position in response to movement.

Q. Which part of human ear is responsible for dynamic balance?

Ans: Semicircular canals.

MECHANISM

o Semicircular canals are concerned about dynamic balance.

o They respond to the rotational movement of the head.
o These canals are filled with endolymph and contain sensory hair cells.
o When we move our head, the fluid inside semicircular canals also moves.
o The fluid movements are detected by the hair cells which stimulate signal and send it to the
brain.
Day-3

Worksheet

1. Mention the location and function of the following:

a) Ear ossicles.
b) Pinna.
c) Eustachian tube.

2. Study the diagram and answer the following questions.

a) Name the parts labelled A, B, C and D.
b) Name the part of ear responsible for transmitting
impulses to the brain.
c) Name the parts which are responsible for hearing, static
balance and dynamic balance.
d) Name the audio receptor cells which pick up vibrations.
e) Name the fluid present in inner ear.

3. Name the ear ossicles.