THE HUMAN EAR

What is sound?

Sound- is any surface

that vibrates in air
that produces sound
waves.

A loudspeaker is a
good example.
 What can we hear?

We can hear sounds from a frequency

of 20 Hertz [that is twenty vibrations
per second] to an upper limit of
20,000 Hertz [that is twenty thousand
vibrations per second]. This upper limit
decreases with age.

We say that the human hearing range is from 20 Hz to 20 kHz [kiloHertz].

20Hz is deep bass and 20kHz is very high treble.

We are most sensitive to sounds in the 2 – 3kHz region and much less sensitive to low
bass and high treble sounds.

We can detect a very wide range of sound levels over a ratio of about 1000000000000:1
This is often called a ratio of 120dB.
 Travelling Sound Wave

A sound wave in air consists of pressure variations which travel away from the source.
This causes the air molecules to “ bunch together “ in the higher pressure regions.

These are called “longitudinal waves”.

The parts of the ear
THE HUMAN EAR IS DIVIDED INTO
THREE SECTIONS.
 The outer ear

The sound waves

go into the ear
and travel down
the ear canal.

They strike the

eardrum and
some of the
wave is
reflected.

This reflected wave combines with the incoming wave to produce a

resonance at a frequency around 3.7kHz.
This means that our hearing in this frequency range is very sensitive.
Picture a satellite dish that
collects radio waves.
The outer ear is similar!
The curved formation on the
outside ( the pinna) helps
funnel sound down the ear
canal to the eardrum.
THE MIDDLE EAR

Eardrum- is a cone-shaped piece of skin

about 10mm wide.
- it is very sensitive
- even the slightest pressure variation will
cause it to vibrate.
- separates the outer ear from the
middle ear
Ossicles- smallest bones in the body
 eardrum

malleus (hammer)- long handle attached to

the - a tiny bone that passes vibrations from the
eardrum to the anvil.
 incus (anvil)- a tiny bone that passes vibrations
from the hammer to the stirrup.
 Stapes (stirrups)- a tiny, U-shaped bone that
passes vibrations from the stirrup to the cochlea.
-This is the smallest bone in the human body
(it is 0.25 to 0.33 cm long).
THE INNER EAR

Two main
parts:
• Cochlea
• Auditory
Nerve
THE INNER EAR

Cochlea- This is a spiral tube that is

covered in a stiff membrane.
- contains thousands of hair cells
attached to the end of the organ of the
auditory nerve called Organ of Corti.
COCHLEAR HAIR CELLS
• These tiny
hairs bend
because of
the
vibrations
caused by
the sound
waves.
THE AUDITORY NERVE
• The tiny hair cells of
the cochlea are set
in motion by
vibrations
• The vibrations
stimulate tiny
nerve cells.
• The nerve cells then
send signals along
the auditory nerve
to the brain.
Auditory Nerve- These nerves receive the
electrical impulses generated by the ear
and pass this information up to the brain
so it can be interpreted.
Semicircular Canals- three loops of
fluid- filled tubes that are attached
to the cochlea in the inner ear.
They help us maintain our sense of
balance.
The cochlea
The hair cells and nerves that detect vibrations are located in the Organ of Corti.
 What can the ear/brain system do?

• Identify musical notes/frequency

• Appreciate harmony

• Identify a musical instrument by its harmonics and its attack/decay profile

• Hear individual instruments when several are playing simultaneously

• Recognise speech

• Isolate a conversation in a noisy environment

• Locate a source of a sound in front of us [stereo hearing]