Ear Terminology

Question 1

vestibular system

Answer 1

organs dedication to balance

Question 2

pinna/auricle

Answer 2

seashell-shaped cartilaginous portion of ear located outside head

Question 3

helix

Answer 3

hard outer edge at the top of pinna

Question 4

tragus

Answer 4

small promince of pinna attached to side of head and near ear canal

Question 5

lobule

Answer 5

fatty tissue located at the bottom portion of external ear

Question 6

tympanic membrane

Answer 6

external auditory canal, eardrum. Vibrates when sound waves reach it.

Question 7

cerumen

Answer 7

fine hairs and wax-like secretions that protect ear canal from debris and airborne particles

Question 8

ossicles

Answer 8

3 tiny ear bones: malleus, incus, stapes

Question 9

malleus

Answer 9

tiny bone that passes vibrations from eardrum to anvil

Question 10

incus

Answer 10

tiny bone that passes vibrations from hammer to stirrup

Question 11

stapes

Answer 11

tiny U-shaped bone that passes vibrations from the stirrup to the cochlea. Smallest bone in the human body.

Question 12

cochlea

Answer 12

snail-shaped fluid filled structure, line with cilia (tiny hairs) that move when vibrated and cause a nerve impulse to form

Question 13

oval window

Answer 13

anatomic structure that separates middle ear from inner ear

Question 14

organ of Corti

Answer 14

changes sound vibrations into electrical nerve signals in the cochlea

Question 15

eustachian tube

Answer 15

tunnel linking the air behind the eardrum to the air in the throat and then to outside air, which allows atmospheric pressure changes to reach both sides of eardrum.

Question 16

utricle/saccule/3 semicircular canals

Answer 16

organs of the vestibular system

Question 17

3 semicircular canals

Answer 17

3 loops of fluid-filled tubes that are attached to the cochlea in the inner ear. They help maintain our sense of balance.