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Chapter 16.4 How You Hear Sound. Pg. 558- 560. The Human Ear. The function of the ear is to gather sound waves and send or transmit, information about sound to your brain Your ear has three main sections: The Outer Ear The Middle Ear The Inner Ear Each section has its own unique function.
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Chapter 16.4 How You Hear Sound Pg. 558- 560
The Human Ear • The function of the ear is to gather sound waves and send or transmit, information about sound to your brain • Your ear has three main sections: • The Outer Ear • The Middle Ear • The Inner Ear • Each section has its own unique function
The Outer Ear • The outer ear looks and functions like a funnel • The main function of the outer ear is to funnel sound waves • The components of the outer ear are the ear canal and eardrum
The Outer Ear • The outer ear collects sound waves and directs them into a narrow region called the ear canal • The ear canal is a few centimeters long and ends at the eardrum • The eardrum is a small tightly stretched, drumlike membrane • Sound waves make your eardrum vibrate
The Middle Ear • The middle ear is located behind the eardrum • The middle ear contains the three smallest bones in your body • The hammer • The hammer is attached to the eardrum and vibrates when the eardrum vibrates • The hammer transmits vibrations to the anvil first and the stirrups second • The anvil • The stirrup
Inner Ear • The inner ear is separated from the middle ear by a membrane • When the stirrup vibrates it vibrates against the membrane and the vibrations pass into the cochlea • The Cochlea is a fluid-filled cavity shaped like a snail shell • The cochlea contains more than 10,000 tiny structures called hair cells
The Inner Ear • The tiny hair cells have hairlike projections that float in the fluid of the cochlea • When vibrations move through the fluid the hair cells move, causing messages to be sent to the brain via the auditory nerve • The brain processes the messages and tells you what you’ve heard
Hearing Loss • When hearing loss occurs a person may have difficulty hearing soft sounds or high-pitched sounds • There are many different causes of hearing loss such as, injury, infection, exposure to loud sounds, and aging
Causes of Hearing Loss • Injury: Hearing loss can occur when the eardrum is damaged or punctured. • This is why it is dangerous to stick objects in your ears • Infection: Can cause damage to the delicate inner ear and cause permanent hearing loss
Causes of Hearing Loss • Extended exposure to loud sounds can damage hair cells in the ear • The damaged hair cells will no longer be able to send signals to the brain • This type of damage can be prevented! • Aging: This is the most common form of hearing loss and it occurs gradually • As people get older their hair cells in the cochlea begin to die ( AND THEY CANNOT BE REPLACED) • People with this kind of hearing loss often have difficulty hearing high-frequency sounds
Hearing Aids • For certain types of hearing loss, hearing aids can restore some ability to hear • Hearing aids amplify sounds entering the ear, and others can amplify specific frequencies that they person has lost the ability to hear • Hearing aids come in all different sizes
Partner Project • Ask Your Partner what sound they hear throughout the day • List at least 15 sounds your partner hears • Ask them to rank the sounds they hear ask either painful, quiet, normal, loud • Then ask them to rate each sound as pleasant, neutral, or annoying • Also for each sound record the source, location, time of day, and time exposed to the sound • How are the sound ratings similar? How are they different?