chapter 6: hearing, balance, taste, and smell Flashcards
decibel (dB)
a measure of sound intensity, perceived as loudness
hertz (Hz)
cycles per second, as of an auditory stimuli; measure of frequency
pure tone
one frequency of vibration, represented by a sine wave
amplitude
perceived as loudness, expressed in decibels (dB), also called intensity
frequency
perceived as pitch, measured in hertz (Hz)
fundamental
basic frequency
harmonics
multiples of the fundamental
timbre
sound quality, notes differ in intensities when played by different instruments
transduction
the conversion of one form of energy to another
pinna
the external part of the ear
ear canal
the tube leading from the pinna to the tympanic membrane, also called auditory canal
inner ear
the cochlea and vestibular apparatus
middle ear
the cavity between the tympanic membrane and the cochlea
tympanic membrane
the partition between the external ear and the middle ear, also called eardrum
ossicles
three small bones (incus, malleus, and stapes) that transmit vibration across the middle ear, from the tympanic membrane to the oval window
oval window
the opening from the middle ear to the inner ear
malleus
a middle ear bone that is connected to the tympanic membrane
Latin for “hammer”
incus
a middle ear bone situated between the malleus and the stapes
Latin for “anvil”
stapes
a middle ear bone that is connected to the oval window
Latin for “stirrup”
cochlea
a snail-shaped structure in the inner ear that contains the primary receptor cells for hearing
vestibular canal
one of the three principal canals running along the length of the cochlea
also called scala vestibuli
middle canal
the central of the three spiraling canals inside the cochlea, situated between the vestibular canal and tympanic canal
also called scala media
tympanic canal
one of the three principal canals running along the length of the cochlea
also called scala tympani
round window
a membrane separating the tympanic canal from the middle ear
organ of Corti
a structure in the inner ear that lies on the basilar membrane of the cochlea and contains the hair cells and terminations of the auditory nerve
hair cell
one of the receptor cells for hearing in the cochlea
basilar membrane
a membrane in the cochlea that contains the principal structures involved in auditory transduction
stereocilium
a relatively stiff hair that protrudes from a hair cell in the auditory or vestibular system
inner hair cell (IHC)
one of the two types of receptor cells for hearing in the cochlea; positioned close to the central axis of the coiled cochlea
outer hair cell (OHC)
one of the two types of receptor cells for hearing in the cochlea; positioned far from the central axis of the coiled cochlea