Question

Popping” of the ears is often experienced when taking off on a plane flight because pressure changes in the ear cause slight displacement of the tympanic membrane. This displacement would cause which of the following?

Answer 1

The thin membrane that closes the cavity of the middle ear from the outside changes position. Your ears pop in airplanes because the air high above the surface is less dense than air near the surface, because the air near the surface has all the air above it pushing down. Your inner ear has air trapped in it and as the atmospheric pressure changes, it causes pressure on your eardrum.