Question

Draw the labeled diagram of the ear. Write a note on the mechanism of hearing.

Answer 1

Hint: This is the main organ of hearing and balance in the human body. The main function of this organ is to transmit and transduce sound to the brain through its parts.

Complete step by step answer:
Mechanism of hearing:
- The external ear receives and collects the sound waves and then directs them to the eardrum
- The sound waves travel through the external auditory canal
- The eardrum vibrates and these vibrations are passed to the three ear ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes) in the middle ear.
- the ear ossicles increase the intensity of the sound vibrations and transmit them to the oval window.

The vibrations pass through the oval window till the cochlea where they generate the waves in the lymph present in the cochlea
- Firstly the waves are generated in the perilymph present in the scala vestibuli and then in the endolymph present in the scala media.
- The waves in the endolymph induce a ripple in the basilar membrane
- The basilar movements bend the hair cells present in the organ of Corti pressing them against the tectorial membrane.
- This generates the nerve impulse in the associated afferent neurons
- The impulse gets transmitted to the auditory region of the brain via the auditory nerve.
- The impulse gets analyzed and thus the sound is recognized

Note:
- Three main parts of the ear i.e. outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear have different functions. They have different features that facilitate hearing and balance.
- They are delicate organs that can have problems due to damage, bacteria, or even changes in the environment.