Final answer:
A hearing aid typically comprises a microphone, an amplifier, and a receiver. The microphone converts sound into electrical signals, the amplifier boosts these signals, and the receiver turns them back into sound for the user's ear.
Step-by-step explanation:
The major components of a hearing aid include a microphone, an amplifier, and a receiver. The microphone picks up sound waves and converts them into electrical signals. The amplifier then increases the strength of these signals. Finally, the receiver converts the amplified electrical signals back into sound waves and directs them into the wearer's ear canal for improved hearing.
As the hearing aid circuitry is designed to deal with small signals and power devices like earbuds, understanding the basic components is important. For example, capacitors might be used to adjust frequency response in a hearing aid to account for issues such as presbycusis, which affects high frequencies in aging adults. Transistors, on the other hand, are semi-conducting devices that can amplify signals in such hearing devices.