The External and Middle Ear
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Sound travels down the external auditory canal,
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causing the tympanic membrane to vibrate.
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The vibrating tympanic membrane (ear drum) causes the three middle ear bones,
the incus, malleus, and stapes to move.
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The stapes is attached to the
cochlea,
inside of which we find the sensory cells.
Some Interesting Facts
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The middle ear bones are the smallest bones in your body.
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The amplitude of their vibrations for just-audible sounds is comparable to the
diameter of a hydrogen atom!
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The cochlea is encased in the hardest bone in your body.
Back to auditory neuroscience.
Don H. Johnson
3/16/97