Our ears help us hear sounds (vibrations through the air) which our brain interprets. Can you match the sounds with what made them?
Label the parts of the ear on your diagram with their name AND their job as you click through this interactive program!
The site below has some pictures of real ears. Explore the How do we hear? tab and the External Ear Tab. Under the Middle Ear Tab you may want to take a look at the picture of real ossicles (your ear bones) next to a dime! How big are they? Please Note: A lot of the information on this site goes into more detail (and labels more parts of the ear) than we need to know in 7th grade, but you're welcome to explore if you want to.
BrainPop Login User Name and Password are on the board! Don't forget to record your score for the Quizzes on your worksheet!
How do our ears help us balance?
"Balance depends on visual information, "feedback" from muscles and from an inner ear structure called the semicircular canal. The semicircular canal is a set of 3 fluid-filled canals that are aligned at right angles to each other. Within parts of the semicircular canal are hair cells. When the head is moved, the fluid in the canals moves the hair cells and a nerve impulse is generated in the vestibular nerve. Don't try this. The world record (according to the Guinness Book of Records, 1996) for balancing on one foot is 55 hr. 35 min."
"Of course you know that if you spin around in circles you will get dizzy. But do you know why? When you spin, fluid in the semicircular canals of your ear moves around. This stimulates the hair cells. When you stop spinning, the fluid still moves a bit. Because the fluid is still activating hair cells, your brain stills gets a message that you are moving and you feel dizzy."
Reference: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bigear.html
"Of course you know that if you spin around in circles you will get dizzy. But do you know why? When you spin, fluid in the semicircular canals of your ear moves around. This stimulates the hair cells. When you stop spinning, the fluid still moves a bit. Because the fluid is still activating hair cells, your brain stills gets a message that you are moving and you feel dizzy."
Reference: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bigear.html
Practice!
More Information!
Click on the link below to see an animation of how your ears can tell different sounds apart! (Look at the wave entering the ear and where the wave first "touches" in the cochlea.)
Click on the link below to learn about cochlear implants which can help deaf people hear!
Click on the link below to see an animated Scholastic video about hearing. (You may have to visit this one at home since YouTube is blocked at school!)
