Sound travels in the air at about 340 metres per second as waves of vibrating air particles These vibrations travel into your ear canal and cause your eardrum to vibrate The various parts of the ear then combine to amplify The sound and convert its energy into electrical impulses These are then sent via nerves to the brain for interpretation

The ear consists of three main sections: the outer, middle and inner ear The outer and middle ear are filled with air, while the inner ear is filled with fluid Pinna collects sounds and funnels them into the auditory canal Eardrum is made of a thin sheet of muscle and skin. It vibrates in response to sounds Vibrations are passed to a set of three tiny bones known as the Ossicles: the hammer, anvil and stirrup By the time it reaches the stirrup, sound has been amplified so that it is about 30 times louder than at the eardrum

The stirrup vibrates against oval window at the boundary causing vibrations to pass into cochlea. Cochlea is coiled and fluid-filled tube. This fluid passes vibrations to a layer of tiny hairs connected to auditory nerves. Auditory nerves send messages to the brain, which are then interpreted as sounds. Two ears help you determine the direction of a sound. If a sound reaches both ears at the same time. brain interprets this to tell you that the source of the sound is directly in front, directly behind or directly above

Deafness : Cannot hear at all Partial Deafness: Temporary deafness which can be cured by hearing aid or surgery Tinnitus: A condition in which a person hears a permanent ringing in the ears even when there is no sound, can be caused by exposure to loud sounds over a long period of time