Sound waves reach your ear by traveling through the air and causing the eardrum to vibrate. Here's a more detailed explanation:
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Outer Ear (Pinna and Ear Canal): Sound waves are funneled into the ear by the pinna, the visible part of the ear. They then travel through the ear canal, a narrow passage leading to the eardrum.
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Middle Ear (Eardrum and Ossicles): The sound waves cause the eardrum (tympanic membrane) to vibrate. These vibrations are then passed on to three tiny bones in the middle ear, known as the ossicles. These bones are:
- Malleus (Hammer): The malleus is attached to the eardrum.
- Incus (Anvil): The incus receives vibrations from the malleus.
- Stapes (Stirrup): The stapes receives vibrations from the incus and transmits them to the inner ear via the oval window.
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Inner Ear (Cochlea): The stapes vibrates against the oval window, an opening to the cochlea in the inner ear. The cochlea is a fluid-filled, spiral-shaped structure. The vibrations create waves in the fluid within the cochlea, which stimulate tiny hair cells.
In summary, sound waves enter the ear canal, vibrate the eardrum, are amplified by the ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes), and then transmitted to the fluid-filled cochlea, where hair cells convert the vibrations into electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound.
