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A sound wave is a type of pressure wave that travels through the air. As the wave travels into the ear canal (fancy name=external auditory meatus), it first will hit the ear drum (tympanic membrane). Since the sound wave is actually a pressure wave, it will push against the ear drum which will then rebound. This results in a vibration of the ear drum.

The ear drum is connected to three little bones (malleus, incus and stapes) - the smallest bones in your body. These bones (together called the ossicular chain) rock back and forth when the ear drum vibrates thereby transmitting the pressure wave down the ossicular chain to the cochlea.

The cochlea is a fluid filled sac and the ossicular chain is connected to it. As the ossicular chain vibrates, it pushes against the fluid in the cochlea. This causes the fluid to move around in a particular way so that special hairs within the cochlea are moved.

These hair cells are in turn attached to a nerve cell. As the hair cells are moved, they activate the nerve cells which send information down a chain of neurones going up your brain stem, to your thalamus (medial geniculate nucleus) and then to your brain's auditory cortex which is when you perceive sound.

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12y ago
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11y ago

the tympanum (ear drum) to vibrate

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10y ago

eardrum

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Q: When sound waves enter your ear they first cause?
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