Describe the structures and functions of the ear.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ear serves the purpose of transmitting a high-fidelity version of sounds in the world to the brain for analysis and interpretation. The ear is divided into three parts: outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The outer ear consists of the pinna and the external auditory canal. The funnel-shaped pinna is the outer, visible part of the ear. The pinna collects sounds and channels them into the interior of the ear. After passing the pinna, sound waves move through the auditory canal to the middle ear. The middle ear channels the sound through the eardrum, hammer, anvil, and stirrup to the inner ear. The eardrum, or tympanic membrane, separates the outer ear from the middle ear and vibrates in response to sound. It is the first structure that sound touches in the middle ear. The hammer, anvil, and stirrup are an intricately connected chain of very small bones. When they vibrate, they transmit sound waves to the fluid-filled inner ear. The muscles that operate these tiny bones take the vibration of the eardrum and transmit it to the oval window, the opening of the inner ear. The function of the inner ear, which includes the oval window, cochlea, and basilar membrane, is to convert sound waves into neural impulses and send them on to the brain. The stirrup is connected to the membranous oval window, which transmits sound waves to the cochlea. The cochlea is a tubular, fluid-filled structure that is coiled up like a snail. The basilar membrane lines the inner wall of the cochlea and runs its entire length.