JOURNEY THROUGH THE EAR

PINNAE

• Soundwaves exist in environment
• Pinnae captures sound waves
• Funnels into ear canal

Sound then travels through the ear canal, and vibrates the ear drum.

Vibrations from the ear drum continue down the ossicles, which are tiny bones, to the cochlea.

COCHLEA

• Inner Ear
• Responsible for transduction
• Fluid inside ear vibrates-
• "Cillia"-Small hairs, bent with vibration
• Bending translates to impulse

One Sensory Unit is equivalent to a hair cell and the nerve connected to it.

The action potential is picked up by the axons of the auditory nerve, which then carries the impulse to the brain.

IN THE BRAIN...

• Impulse goes to

Helmholtz's Place Theory states that different wavelengths go to different parts of the cochlea to create different pitches.