The Ear: Hearing and Care

1Parts of the ear

• Outer ear: the ear flap you can see collects sounds. The ear canal leads inside. It makes earwax, which traps dust and germs.
• Middle ear: the eardrum is a thin skin across the end of the ear canal. Sound makes it vibrate (shake very fast). Three tiny bones, the smallest bones in your body, pass the vibrations on.
• Inner ear: the cochlea, shaped like a snail shell, changes the vibrations into messages. The hearing nerve carries them to the brain, which tells you what you heard.

The inner ear also has three curved tubes that help you keep your balance. When you spin round and round, you feel dizzy because of them.

2How a sound reaches the brain

ear flap → ear canal → eardrum → three tiny bones → cochlea → hearing nerve → brain

3Caring for your ears

• Never push sticks, pins, pen tops or cotton buds deep into your ear. They can hurt the eardrum. Your ear cleans itself: earwax slowly moves out on its own.
• Clean only the outer ear, with a clean, damp cloth.
• Keep away from very loud sounds, like big speakers at a wedding, and keep the volume low when you use earphones.
• Never hit or slap anyone on the ear.
• If an ear hurts or has liquid coming out, go to the health centre. Do not pour oil or herbs into it.

Try it yourself

Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.