How do our ears hear?
Ears catch sounds and send them to your brain. Follow a sound into your ear, make your own big ears, and learn how to look after them.
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The part of your ear you can see on the side of your head catches sounds. It sends them down a little tunnel called the ear canal.[1]
At the end of the tunnel is the eardrum. When a sound arrives, the eardrum starts to shake. Three tiny bones pass the shaking on, deeper into your ear.[1]
Deep inside is the cochlea. It is shaped like a snail shell and filled with liquid. Tiny hair cells inside it turn the shaking into a signal, and a nerve carries the signal to your brain. Now you hear the sound![1]
Your ears do another job too: parts deep inside them help you keep your balance and feel when your head turns.[2]
Very loud sounds can hurt the hair cells, and they cannot grow back. So when something is too loud, move away or cover your ears.[6][5]
Never poke fingers or cotton buds into your ears. Earwax normally comes out on its own.[8]
Try it: Big ears!
You need
- A ticking clock, or soft music played quietly by the teacher
- Your hands
- Optional: a paper cone (rolled from a sheet of paper)
Safety
Keep the sound soft. Only use your hands or a paper cone around the ear: never put anything inside your ear.
What to do
- Sit still and quiet. The teacher plays a soft sound at the front of the room.
- Listen with your hands down. How loud is it?
- Now cup your hands behind your ears, like big animal ears. Listen again.
- Turn so the sound is behind you and try again. What changes?
- Show with your thumb: louder (up), the same (sideways) or quieter (down).
What happens, and why?
Your outer ear catches sound and sends it into the ear canal. Cupped hands work like an even bigger outer ear, catching more sound and sending it into your ear, so the sound seems louder.[1]
Play: Kind to ears or too loud?
A sound appears. Is it fine for your ears, or so loud that you should protect them? Tap the right group.
Your best score is kept only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Quiz
Other ages: Ages 10–11 · Ages 15–16