Functions of Ear

Ears are present on the both sides of the head and help us to hear music and other sounds. Ears also help to maintain balance. We can ride a cycle without falling because of our ears.

Anything that moves makes sound, which is called vibration. When we pull a string of a guitar it makes a vibration or a sound wave. These sound waves travel through air, water and even solid material. This is the reason we can even hear our own voice, as our skull is a solid structure.

An ear has three parts; outer ear, middle ear and inner ear.

The outer ear is what we can see. It catches the sound waves and sends them to the middle ear via tube to finally reach the eardrum. Eardrum is a thin layer that separates outer and middle ear. These drums start vibrating whenever exposed to sound waves.

Middle ear is inside our head. When the eardrum vibrates, the bones of the middle ear get moved. Middle ear has air in it and it is connected to nose and throat via tube. This tube doesn’t allow too much air to build in the ears. It is also by the presence of this tube that our ears pop up in the airplane.

Inner ear has many tubes. A special part called cochlea is present in the inner ear which helps in hearing. It has fluid and tiny hairs. When the bones in the middle ear move, they in turn move these tiny hairs and fluid. These hairs are linked to the brain and tell the brain about the kind of sound.

Balance is maintained by the inner ear. Any problem in the inner ear can cause seasickness or carsickness. When you are in car or ship big waves shake you, which in turn cause the fluid in the ear to move around which makes you feel sick.

Some people are born with hearing related problems or with a missing or damaged cochlea or other ear parts. Injuries or infections can also the causes of hearing loss. Hearing problems can come from injured eardrums, loud noises or even cancer. Some people slowly lose their hearing power with age.