Lesson 12 The ear

Unit 3 – Sound and waves

 The ear is the organ that
enables hearing and, in
mammals, body balance using the
vestibular system.
 In mammals, the ear is usually
described as having three parts—
the outer ear, the middle ear and
the inner ear.
 The outer ear
 The outer ear is the external portion
of the ear and includes the fleshy
visible pinna and the ear canal.
 The function of the outer ear is to
collect sound waves and guide them
to the ear drum.
 The middle ear
The middle ear starts with the eardrum,
includes the 3 small bones, and the eustachian
tubes.
 Eardrum: Forms the boundary between the
outer ear and the middle ear. The vibrations
from the eardrum set the 3 bones into
motion
 3 small bones: The 3 small bones further
amplify the sound.
 Eustachian tube: It opens into the middle
ear. It is responsible for equalizing the
pressure between the air outside the ear and
that within the middle ear.
 The inner ear
The inner ear consist of the semicircular canals,
the cochlea and the auditory nerve.
 Your semicircular canals are three tiny,
fluid-filled tubes in your inner ear that help
Auditory
you keep your balance.
 The cochlea is filled with a fluid that moves
in response to the vibrations the middle ear.
As the fluid moves, the nerve endings are set
into motion.
 These nerve endings transform the vibrations
into electrical impulses that then travel along
the auditory nerve to the brain.
Name the parts of the ear on the
handout given
Pinna, 3 small bones, auditory nerve, ear drum, ear canal, semi circular canals, cochlea,
eustachian tube.
  Question 2: Connect the parts to the
functions using arrows

Complete
 Part of the ear   Function
Pinna   Vibrates against the 3 small bones
ear canal   Collect sound waves
Ear drum   Electrical impulses get transferred to the brain
  Filled with a fluid that moves in response to the
3 small bones
vibrations the middle ear
auditory nerve   Further amplify the sound
Cochlea   Help you keep your balance.
Eustachian tube   Guide soundwaves to the ear drum
  Equalizing the pressure between the air outside the
semi-circular canals
ear and that within the middle ear
 The human range is commonly given as 20 to
20,000 Hz, although there is considerable
variation between individuals:

• at high frequencies,

What can we he • and a gradual loss of sensitivity to higher frequencies with

age is considered normal.
ar?
Several animal species are able to hear
frequencies well beyond the human hearing
range.

• Some dolphins and bats, for example, can hear frequencies

up to 100,000 Hz.
• Elephants can hear sounds at 14–16 Hz, while some whales
can hear infrasonic sounds as low as 7 Hz.
Complete question 3
Using this link
  https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseas
es/how-the-ear-works#:~:text=It%20collects%20sound%20wav
es%20and,cause%20the%20eardrum%20to%20vibrate

Extra readings .
 https://www.britannica.com/science/ear/Tympanic-membrane-a
nd-middle-ear

 https://www.widex.com/en/blog/global/human-hearing-range-w
hat-can-you-hear/#:~:text=While%2020%20to%2020%2C000
Hz,hear%20starting%20at%200%20dB
.