How the Ear Works

An ear has many working parts. Their job is to turn sound into something your brain can understand. Here’s how.

The pinna is the part of the ear sticking out of your head. It collects sounds. The sounds travel through the ear canal. They reach the eardrum. The drum vibrates. That sends signals to the inner ear.

The signals enter the cochlea. It’s a circular tube full of liquid. There are also hair cells. They start to wiggle. And that creates more signals. These travel along a nerve to the brain. The brain translates the signals into sound. That’s how you hear.