How+We+Hear



**How We Hear **
 * Follow the green soundwave  from the **outer ear **  to the **cochlea ** .
 * Soundwaves travel through the **outer ear **  to the **eardrum, **  also known as the **tympanic membrane ** .
 * The eardrum vibrates and sets in motion the 3 small bones, together known as the //**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">ossicles **// <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">, in the inner ear - the **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">malleus ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">, **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">incus ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">, and **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">stapes ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The vibration of the eardrum and the movement of the ossicles is a form of mechanical energy.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the last of the 3 bones, the stapes, moves it pushes in on the oval window of the cochlea.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the oval window moves, it in turn causes the fluid inside the cochlea to move and stimulate the **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">hair-like receptor cells ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> or, **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">cilia ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the cilia move and become "fired up", the mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">This electrical current stimulates the **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">cochlear nerve ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> or, **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">auditory nerve ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">, which then sends a signal to the brain.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sound is heard!

**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">For animations of the process of hearing, visit: ** The Ear: How We Hear Parts of the Ear and The Process of Hearing

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