Hearing is one of the most basic human needs. It is very important to be able to listen in order to be actively involved in life. Let’s see how the sense of hearing works.

The ear is divided into three parts. The outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. Each of them has a specific function. The outer ear receives and collects sound waves and directs them to the middle ear. There, the middle ear amplifies the sound and then transmits it to the inner ear.

The inner ear converts sound vibrations into electrical pulses that are transmitted through the auditory nerve to the brain in more detail.

• The earlobe collects sounds and directs them to the ear canal.
• Through the auditory canal the sound reaches the drum (tympanic membrane).
• The sound causes vibrations in the drum.
• The middle ear is a space that contains air and is separated from the outer ear by the tympanic membrane. The middle ear contains the three smaller ossicles (hammer, anvil and stirrup), which detect these vibrations and transfer them to the screw.
• The screw is full of fluid and has thousands of tiny nerves. The mechanical movement of this series of ossicles creates movement in the fluid, which stimulates the nerve fibers. The nerve fibers then send electrical pulses to the auditory nerve and the brain, which translates the pulses into sound.