Right now, as you are listening to my words, a miracle is taking place, which you have probably never noticed

so far. Some vibrations emitted by my mouth are producing some waves in the air filling the room you are in. These vibrations in the air are entering your ear at a speed of 360 KM per second. These vibrations, which have been mere physical motions until now are being transformed into sound by incredibly complex operations taking place in your ears. Surprisingly, all these operations occur in less than 1,000th of a second.

 Thanks to this system you hear millions of different sounds, like the conversation you are listening to right now, you can hear thousands of different voices or music and distinguish sounds from one another. Moreover, you listen to them, without the interference of any hissing, humming, or rustling sounds, with a perfect quality much better than the worlds highest quality HiFi system.

 So how is all this accomplished? What kind of structure do the sense of hearing and do the ear have? Over and above this to whom are we indebted for this miracle of hearing?

 A scientific analysis of these questions leads us to conclude the following: The ear, the organ associated with hearing, is a marvel of biological design. It is a matchless device, built through the astounding collaboration of many sciences including 1. acoustics (the science of sound), 2. mechanics (the science of energy and forces), 3. hydraulics (study of fluids), and the 4. electronics (the branch of technology concerned with the design, manufacture, and maintenance of electronic devices).
Before examining the structure of the ear some consideration of the concept of sound will be helpful.

Structure of the Presentation

A. Sound: Physical Aspects B. Structure of the Human Ear
a. Outer Ear b. Middle Ear c. Inner Ear

C. How do we sense Sounds?

a. Place Theory b. Frequency Theory

D. Is listening the only thing our ears do? E. Recap F. Review Question

Does the Sound Exist in the External World?

No such sounds exist outside. Absolute silence pervades the world.
There are only vibrations outside. These vibrations are converted into sounds by the ear and the brain.
So long there is no ear to hear, there is no sound. For this reason, if living beings have no sense of hearing, the concept of sound would not exist. It would never occur to anyone that the vibration corresponded to sounds. Everyone would live and die in deep silence. Yet, thanks to the sense of hearing given to us, we live in a world where we can hear thousands of sounds. Take pleasure from them, and communicate with one another.

Figure 1: Graphic representations of a sound wave. (A) Air at equilibrium, in the absence of a sound wave; (B) compressions and rarefactions that constitute a sound wave; (C) transverse representation of the wave, showing amplitude (A) and wavelength ().

Sound: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009 DVD

A.

A. Sound: Physical Aspects

Sound is the movement of air molecules brought about by the vibration of an object. Sounds travel in the air in wave patterns.

1. Sound waves
Changes in pressure caused by molecules of air moving

2. Frequency
Number of cycles per second in a wave, measured in Hertz (Hz) Frequency determines pitch of the sound
Normal human ear can hear 20 to 20,000 Hz

A.

Sound: Physical Aspects

Magnitude (height) of sound wave Determines loudness, measured in decibels (dB)

3. Amplitude/Intensity

Practical Examples of Frequency and Intensity

B.
The Ear: The Organ for hearing

B.
a. Outer Ear b. Middle Ear c. Inner Ear

The Ear
Outer Ear Middle Ear
Inner Ear

B.

a. Outer Ear
the curved part of the ear attached to the side of the head by small ligaments and muscles. It consists largely of elastic cartilage, and its shape helps collect sound waves from the air.

Like a reverse mega phone, Designed to collect and bring sounds into the internal portion of the ear.

1. Auricle (Pinna)

2. Auditory Canal
A tube like passage that leads to the eardrum

3. Eardrum
Operates like a miniature drum, vibrating when sound waves hit it. Part of the ear that vibrates when sound waves hit it.

Eardrum

Auricle / Pinna

Auditory Canal

B.

b. Middle Ear

Acts as a tiny mechanical amplifier.

Contains three small bones;

1. the hammer (Malleus), 2. Anvil (Incus), and 3. Stirrup (Stapes)

These bones relay and amplify the incoming sound waves

Hammer

Anvil

Stirrup

B.

c. Inner Ear

Portion of the ear that changes the sound vibrations into a form that allows it to be transmitted to the brain. Membrane between middle ear and inner ear

Oval window
Cochlea
Part of inner ear containing fluid that vibrates This causes the basilar membrane to vibrate looks something like a snail
Oval Window Cochlea

B.

c. Inner Ear
Membrane in the cochlea which contains receptor cells, called hair cells When these hair cells are bent by the vibrations entering the cochlea, a neural message is transmitted to the brain

Basilar membrane

Auditory nerve
Connection from ear to brain Provides information to both sides of brain

B.

c.
How are our brains able to sort out wavelengths of different frequencies and intensities?

c.

a. Theories of Hearing
Pitch is determined by location of vibration along the basilar membrane Part of the basilar membrane nearest to oval window is most sensitive to high frequency sounds Part of the basilar membrane nearest to cochleas inner end is most sensitive to low-frequency sounds

Place theory

c.

b. Frequency Theory of Hearing

Entire basilar membrane acts like a microphone, vibrating as a whole in response to a sound Pitch is determined by frequency hair cells produce action potentials Higher the pitch of a sound (number of wave crests per second) greater the number of nerve impulses that are transmitted up the auditory nerve to the brain

D.

D.

Balance: The Ups and Downs

Several structures of the ear are related more to our sense of balance than to our hearing. Semicircular Canals
Structures of the inner ear consisting of three tubes containing fluid that sloshes through them when the head moves, signaling rotational or angular movement to the brain

Otoliths
Tiny, motion-sensitive crystals within the semicircular canals that sense body acceleration When we move, the crystals shift like sands on a windy beach.

D.

E.
1. 2. 3.

Recap
the outer ear (which includes the auditory canal and eardrum), the middle ear (which includes the hammer, anvil, and stirrup), and the oval window leading to the inner ear. The inner ear contains the cochlea, basilar membrane, and hair cells.

The sense of hearing, motion, and balance are centered in the ear. The major parts of the ear are

The physical aspects of sound include frequency and intensity. Place theory and frequency theory are believed to operate in the transmition of sound waves into the experience of sound. The sense of balance is located in the ears semicircular canals and otoliths.

F.

Review Questions

1.

The tube-like passage leading from the outer ear is known as _____? Auditory Canal 2. The purpose of eardrum is to protect the sensitive nerves underneath it. It serves no purpose in actual hearing TRUE OR FALSE? False: it vibrates when sound waves hit it, and transmits the sound 3. To what part of ear do the three middle ear bones transmit their sound??_____ Oval window 4. What theory of hearing states that the entire basilar membrane responds to a sound, vibrating more or less, depending on the nature of the sound.____?? Frequency Theory 5. The three fluid-filled tubes in the inner ear that are responsible for our sense of balance are known as ______??? Semicircular Canals

Courtesy: Imran Ahmad Sajid, T.A., ISSG, University of Peshawar. imranahmad131@gmail.com

Courtesy: Imran Ahmad Sajid, T.A., ISSG, University of Peshawar. imranahmad131@gmail.com