9.3 Hearing Sound

Question 1

Ear canal

Answer 1

the tube that leads from the outside of the ear to the eardrum

Question 2

Eardrum

Answer 2

a thin piece of stretched skin inside the ear that vibrates when sound waves reach it

Question 3

Membrane

Answer 3

a thin layer of tissue; the eardrum

Question 4

Auricle

Answer 4

the fleshy outside part of the ear; the part we can see

Question 5

Cochlea

Answer 5

the snail-shaped part of the inner ear. It is lined with tiny hairs that are vibrated by sound and stimulate the hearing receptors.

Question 6

Semicircular canals

Answer 6

three curved tubes, filled with fluid, in the inner ear that control your sense of balance

Question 7

Auditory nerve

Answer 7

a large nerve that sends signals to the brain from the hearing receptors in the cochlea

Question 8

Ossicles

Answer 8

a set of three tiny bones that send vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. They also make the vibrations larger.

Question 9

Oval window

Answer 9

an egg-shaped hole covered with a thin tissue. It is the entrance from the middle ear to the outer ear.

Question 10

Relative intensity

Answer 10

a measure of how loud a sound is using a sound meter

Question 11

Sound level

Answer 11

the energy of sound that is an indication of the loudness of a sound

Question 12

Decibel

Answer 12

a unit of measurement of relative sound intensity

Symbol = dB

Question 13

Threshold of hearing

Answer 13

the lowest level of sound that can be heard by the human ear

Question 14

Threshold of pain

Answer 14

the lowest level of sound that causes pain to the human ear

Question 15

Tinnitus

Answer 15

a ringing or similar sensation of sound in the ears, caused by damage to the cells of the inner ear

Question 16

Cochlear implant

Answer 16

a device implanted behind the ear that detects and processes sound, then sends signals to the auditory nerve so that severely deaf people can hear