The EarLife ScienceChris Petriccione

Questions

How do we hear things and understand what is being said?

Why are our ears on the side of our head, when rabbits have them on top of their heads?

What causes hearing loss?

The Ear

There are three main parts: Outer Ear Middle Ear Inner Ear

Outer Ear

The outer ear collects sound and sends it down ear canal to eardrum

Middle EarSound vibrations travels

from ear drum to the bones of the middle ear.

Sound hits the hammer, which passes to the anvil, and finally to the stirrup, where the vibration is passed to the cochlea.

Question

Why use bone as a transmitter of sound vibrations?

Inner EarThe cochlea is a fluid filled spiral, which is where the

vibrations travel to the organ of CortiThe organ of Corti is a strip of tiny hairs (about 20,000)

which are nerve endings that detect vibrations and send it to the brain.

Sound

Travels in waves

Question

Why are rabbits ears located on top of their head, whereas our ears are on the side of our head?

Hearing Loss

What causes hearing loss?

Balance

What does all of this have to do with balance?