Final answer:
Sound waves are the vibrations that travel through the air when an object makes a sound. The correct term for these vibrations is 'sound waves,' not ossicles, cochlea, or auditory nerves, which are structures involved in hearing.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an object makes a sound, it is indeed sending vibrations through the air. These vibrations are called sound waves. It's not the ossicles, cochlea, or auditory nerves that are sent through the air; those are parts of the ear that play roles in hearing the sound once the sound waves reach the ear. Sound waves are the actual vibrations that travel through a medium, such as air, and are detected by our ears.
The ear captures these sound waves through the outer ear and sends them via the eardrum to the three tiny bones in the middle ear known as the auditory ossicles, which include the malleus, incus, and stapes. These bones then transmit the vibrations to the fluid-filled cochlea in the inner ear. The energy transferred to the cochlea causes tiny hair cells to bend, sending nerve impulses through the auditory nerve to the brain, where the sound is perceived.