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Table of Contents
The ear is the organ that detects sound. Not only does it receive sound, but it also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system. Often the ear refers to the entire organ, though it may also just be the visible portion.
See the list below for more facts about the ear or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Facts & Information
The Amazing Ear
- The ear is an amazing organ that enables us to hear sounds and convert soundwaves into something we can relate to and understand. Can you imagine not being able to hear your parents’ voices, birds chirping, emergency vehicle sirens, or our favorite music?
- Only the outer ear is visible in humans (and most animals). However, inside lies a complex system that consists of three parts.
- The external or outer ear consists of the pinna or auricle and the tympanic membrane (eardrum), which divides the external ear from the middle ear.
- The middle ear (tympanic cavity) contains the ossicles. The ossicles are three tiny bones that are among the smallest bones in the human body. These three bones each have a name, the Hammer (malleus), the Anvil (incus), and the Stirrup (stapes). These transmit sounds from the air to the fluid-filled labyrinth.
- The inner ear is a small compartment containing the hearing and balance apparatus. These are the cochlea, which is the hearing portion, and the semicircular canals, which is the balance portion.
- Hearing is an amazing process, made possible by the 15,000 or so tiny hair cells inside our cochlea, which is the small, snail-shaped organ in the inner ear. The cells are called hair cells because tiny bundles of stereocilia, which look like hairs under a microscope, sit on top of each hair cell.
- Only a few gifted creatures on earth have specifically designed organs for hearing. Most organisms have hidden auditory organs with shared functionality. Humans are one such gifted species.
- Have you ever held a seashell to your ear and listened? It has an unusual sound. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
Ears and Sound
- So we know that the ear processes sound, yes?
- And we know what sound/noise is, yes?
- Do we know how sound/noise is measured? And how do sounds affect the ear?
- Well, sound is measured by its intensity (how loud it is) in decibels (dB) and the pitch (how high or low the sound is) in hertz (Hz).
- Normal conversation is about 60 dB, while a whisper is about 30 dB, and a running motorcycle engine is about 95 dB.
- Noise levels above 70 dB over a long period of time may start to damage your hearing.
- Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears, for example, an explosion or shotgun blast.
- Most people can hear sounds down to about 0 dB, the level of rustling leaves.
- And sound affects the ear with vibration/waves.
How the Ear Functions, Hearing, and Balance
- Sound travels down the ear canal to your eardrum.
- When the sound hits the eardrum, it causes the eardrum to vibrate.
- Just behind the eardrum are the three very small bones called the ossicles. The eardrum first vibrates the Hammer (Malleus), which then strikes the Anvil (Incus), and they transfer the sound through to the Stirrup (Stapes).
- This causes the fluid in the cochlea to start to vibrate.
- Inside the cochlea, along with the fluid, there are approximately 15,000 microscopic hair cells. These hair cells sense the movement in the cochlea, then catch and carry the sound to the auditory nerve.
- The auditory nerve sends the vibrations to the brain, which then interprets the sounds we are hearing.
- Simply put, the function of the ear is to process sound waves into a noise we can understand, enjoy or dislike.
- And all of this happens without any effort on our part, just us being aware of sound/noise.
Balance
- The ear also provides us with equilibrium or balance, both when we are still and when we are moving.
- The inner ears are full of fluid that moves around to signal to the brain that you are moving.
- This fluid can also tell your brain whether you’re sitting up, leaning back, lying down, or whether your head is looking straight ahead, up, or down.
- The organs of balance in the inner ear are called the vestibular system.
- The system consists of three fluid-filled loops and semicircular canals, which respond to the movement/rotation of the head.
- The utricle and saccule, near the semicircular canals, detect back-and-forth motion and gravity.
- Remember getting off of a merry-go-round and feeling like everything around you is still moving and feeling dizzy and not being able to walk in a straight line? Sometimes you even fall over and have to wait for the dizziness to pass before getting up again.
- This is because your spinning around moves the fluid in the tubes in your ears, upsetting the level/balance.
- Also, when one has an ear infection, our sense of balance does not work properly, often making us feel dizzy or nauseous.
Problems Relating to the Ear
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Vertigo is a type of dizziness that makes you feel as though you or your surroundings are spinning.
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Tinnitus is the hearing of noise/sound when there actually isn’t any. It can be a high-pitched tone, or even buzzing.
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Deafness. This is when a person cannot hear sound even when it is amplified. The most common causes of hearing loss are noise exposure, and aging. Sometimes, an injury or illness can result in deafness. In rare cases, congenital conditions result in babies being born unable to hear.
Did You Know?
- Ears never stop hearing, even when we sleep. Our brain just ignores incoming sounds and starts interpreting them when we are awake.
- Ears produce wax to protect themselves from friction and dust. The wax slowly works its way to the outer ear and can be simply wiped away.
- Only vertebrate animals have ears, though many invertebrates detect sound using other kinds of sense organs.
- Some mammals have extra large ears used to help regulate their body temperature, elephants, for example.
- The eustachian tube is a small tube that connects the throat to the middle ear. When you sneeze, swallow, or yawn, your Eustachian tubes open to equalize the pressure between the atmosphere and the body.
- And why do our ears sometimes “pop”, or need to be “popped”? This is necessary because of a sudden change of air pressure in the ear that needs to be released. The pressure change happens when you gain height quickly, like taking a fast elevator to the top of a high building, a flight in an airplane, or going scuba diving. Swallowing and chewing gum are helpful to release pressure in the ears.
Other Interesting Ear Facts
- Ears have been decorated with jewelry for thousands of years, traditionally by piercing the earlobe.
- Both in ancient and modern cultures, plugs have been used to stretch and enlarge the earlobes which are then fitted/filled with decorated plugs.
- Pointy ears are a common characteristic of many fantasy creatures, including fairies, pixies, elves, and hobbits.
Ear Worksheets
This bundle contains 9 ready-to-use Ear Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about the ear which is the organ that detects sound. Not only does it receive sound, but it also aids in balance and body position.
Download includes the following worksheets
- Ear Facts
- The Outer Ear
- The Middle Ear
- The Inner Ear
- How it Works
- Ear Care
- Ear Warnings
- Taking Care of your Ears
- More Ears
- Guess the Ears
- Ear Power
Frequently asked questions
Why do we have ears?
Humans’ ears are the organs responsible for hearing and balance. The ear receives sound waves (noises) and transforms them into proper sounds which make sense to us.
What is the ear made of?
The outer ear is made up of skin and cartilage. The inner ear is a whole system of parts that work together to enable us to hear sound and process it.
Why do we have two ears?
We have two ears, so we are able to hear sounds clearly from both directions. If we only had one ear, we would hear fewer sounds.
Do we need to clean our ears?
Ears are self-cleaning, so one only needs to wipe the parts of the ear you can see with a clean cloth to keep them clean. This will also remove any wax that has worked its way out from the inner ear.
Do your ears keep growing?
Although the outer ear seems to get longer as we age, it is not actually growing. This appearance is because gravity causes the cartilage to deteriorate, resulting in longer or droopier ears. But don’t worry, it only happens when you get really old like your grandparents.
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Link will appear as Ear Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 24, 2017
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.