Sounds
are all around us, but without our ears we would be unable to
hear anything. Our world would be completely quiet. Ears work in a
wonderful way. Your ear flap, the outside part that we know as the ear, catches
sounds like a cup. Then sound travels down the ear canal to the
eardrum. The eardrum is like a tiny drum, When
the sound hits the eardrum it vibrates just like a regular drum does when
it is hit.
There are three very tiny bones right behind your eardrum. They
are the tiniest bones in your body. Their names are the hammer, the anvil
and the stirup. When the eardrum vibrates it makes the little bones
vibrate and these bones pass the vibrations on to the cochlea in the inner
ear. Inside of the cochlea the vibrations are changed into nerve signals
which are sent to the brain via the auditory nerve. This
entire process is very fast. In an instant the message is already
sent up to our brain where it is processed so we can understand what the
sound is. Did You Know:
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Some animals can hear many more sounds than humans. There are
sounds are too high for human ears but dogs, mice, birds, and many
other animals can hear them.
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Your ears also help you balance. In your inner ear there are three
semicircular canals filled with liquid. When the liquid moves due to
your body movement, tiny hairs inside the canal send a signal to your
brain.
Try It Yourself:
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