Auditory System

Frequency

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (code for pitch)

Hertz

Unit of frequency

Amplitude

Height of a wave ( code for loudness)

Inner ear

cochlea, vestibule, semicircular canals

Cochlea

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

vestibule and semicircular canals

maintain balance and spatial organisation

Sensory receptors of the Auditory system

Cochlea - within the organ of Corti on the basilar membrane

how are pressure waves translated into nerve impules in the ear?

The sound waves are first funneled into the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then amplified and transmitted by the ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes) in the middle ear to the oval window of the inner ear. Vibrations of the oval window create pressure waves in the cochlea, the tiny hair cells (cilia) bend (sensory receptors for hearing). Movement trigger the release of neurotransmitters, activate nerve fibres, generate electrical impulses - transmitted along the auditory nerve to the brain - interpreted as sound.

Why do we have two ears?

to enhance sound localisation