3BHow Your Hearing Works 33 of sound . The eardrum is the beginning of the interpretation of sound waves into information for the brain to process .
In situations where there are competing levels of sound , the eardrum will help you to focus and concentrate your hearing on higher pitched sounds , and essentially drown out the louder and lower pitched sounds . This would come into play if you are on the playground with your kids and you are trying to carry on a conversation with your friend . Your eardrum helps you zero in on what your friend is saying and relegate the playground noise to the background . When auditory conditions are less than optimal , the eardrum will actually protect you from loud and harmful noises . A very loud low pitched sound will cause the tympanic muscle to contract sharply and not vibrate in its normal way , thus lessening the amount of sound that will travel to the brain .
The Ossicles
So far , sound waves have traveled through the air . First , a sound was collected by the pinnae and pushed into the ear canal ; second , the eardrum reacted to that sound by vibrating according to the pitch and volume . The next section of the middle ear will do the work of amplifying that sound so that when it reaches the fluid of the inner ear , it can stand up to the increased inertia that awaits it . The Ossicles are a series of bones that react in conjunction with the vibrations created by the eardrum . If you can imagine a set of dominoes - with each one
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