2.6 How does the ear work ?
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This article is from the Acoustics FAQ, by Andrew Silverman with numerous contributions by others.
2.6 How does the ear work ?
The eardrum is connected by three small jointed bones in the air-filled middle ear to the oval window of the inner ear or cochlea, a fluid- filled spiral coil about one and a half inches in length. Over 10,000 hair cells on the basilar membrane along the cochlea convert minuscule movements to nerve impulses, which are transmitted by the auditory nerve to the hearing center of the brain.
The basilar membrane is wider at its apex than at its base, near the oval window, whereas the cochlea tapers towards its apex. Different groups of the delicate hair sensors on the membrane, which varies in stiffness along its length, respond to different frequencies transmitted down the coil. The hair sensors are one of the few cell types in the body which do not regenerate. They may therefore become irreparably damaged by large noise doses. Refer to the Tinnitus FAQ for more information on hearing disorders.
http://www.mankato.msus.edu/dept/comdis/kuster2/audiology.html http://oto.wustl.edu/cochlea ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/medicine/
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