Answer:
Explanation:To show the path that sound travels through the ear, the following steps can be arranged in order:
1. Outer ear funnels and focuses sound: Sound waves enter the ear through the outer ear, which includes the pinna and ear canal. The shape of the outer ear helps to gather and direct sound waves towards the middle ear.
2. Sound strikes the eardrum: Sound waves reach the eardrum, also known as the tympanic membrane, and cause it to vibrate. The eardrum separates the outer ear from the middle ear.
3. Vibrations travel through the malleus, incus, and stapes: The vibrating eardrum transfers its energy to three small bones in the middle ear called the ossicles. These bones, known as the malleus, incus, and stapes, amplify and transmit the vibrations to the inner ear.
4. Sound waves get to oval window: The stapes bone in the middle ear transmits the vibrations to the oval window, which is a flexible membrane located in the inner ear. The oval window acts as the entrance to the fluid-filled cochlea.
5. Hair cells in the organ of Corti detect the wave: Within the cochlea, the vibrations of the fluid cause the movement of specialized cells called hair cells in the organ of Corti. These hair cells convert the mechanical energy of the sound waves into electrochemical signals.
6. Mechanical energy is changed to electrochemical energy: As the hair cells in the organ of Corti are stimulated, they generate electrochemical signals in response to the sound vibrations. These signals represent the sound information and are sent to the auditory nerve.
7. Impulse is sent by the auditory nerve to the brain: The electrochemical signals from the hair cells are transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve. The brain then processes and interprets these signals as sound, allowing us to perceive and understand the sound we heard.
By following these steps in order, we can understand the path that sound takes through the ear, from the outer ear to the inner ear and ultimately to the brain for perception.