Body & Senses
How do sounds reach my ears?
Flauschi notices a rustle before Puschel spots the moving leaves.
The short answer
Sounds make air vibrate. This movement enters the ear and moves tiny parts inside it. The inner ear makes signals that travel to the brain, where they are processed as sound.
From sound to a message
1. From a rustle to moving air
Parts of a rustling leaf vibrate, moving quickly back and forth.
2. Movement becomes a message
The cochlea is a coiled, fluid-filled part of the inner ear.
3. The brain makes sense of the message
The hearing nerve carries signals to the brain.
The first line shows vibration, not the journey of air particles. The cochlea is enlarged and greatly simplified.
In picture three pale blue stands for the inner ear and purple for the brain. Green stands for signals between them; air does not flow through the hearing nerve.
An imagined Wusel scene
Puschel and Flauschi investigate
Puschel and Flauschi hear a quiet rustle from their garden bench. Puschel first looks underneath it.
Puschel“Is there a crackling biscuit hiding down there?”
Flauschi looks at a nearby branch. Flauschi“The leaves are moving. Listen without searching for a biscuit straight away.”
They sit quietly. The rustle becomes louder and softer. Puschel“My ears found the leaves first!”
Flauschi“In people, sound waves enter the ear. Eventually, signals travel to the brain.” Puschel decides that his next walk will be an adventure for his ears too.
Little Wusel quiz
What can make the eardrum vibrate?
Choose one answer: a), b).
- a)Sound waves
- b)Light rays
Show answer
Correct answer: a): Sound waves Sound waves make the eardrum vibrate.
Does a rustle always tell Puschel exactly what caused it?
Choose one answer: a), b).
- a)Yes, always.
- b)No, he can also look.
Show answer
Correct answer: b): No, he can also look. A sound alone does not always reveal its cause. Looking can help identify it.
Word help
- cell
- A tiny living unit. Living things are made of cells.
- nerve
- A bundle of fibres that carry signals through the body.
Explore in more detail
Here you will find longer explanations and further details. You can explore them together.
Understand step by step
How it works – simply explained
From a rustle to moving air
Parts of a rustling leaf vibrate, moving quickly back and forth. Neighbouring air particles pass this movement on as a sound wave. They do not travel from the leaf into your ear; they vibrate around their positions.
To the eardrum
The outer ear is the part you can see. Sound travels through the ear canal, a narrow passage, to the eardrum. This thin tissue vibrates with the incoming sound waves. A little drum skin is a useful comparison, not a real drum inside your head.
Three tiny bones pass on movement
Behind the eardrum are the hammer, anvil and stirrup. These are tiny hearing bones, not tools. They transfer the vibration effectively into the inner ear.
Movement becomes a message
The cochlea is a coiled, fluid-filled part of the inner ear. Its fluid and a thin layer inside move. Tiny projections on special sensory cells bend, producing electrical signals. Sensory cells respond to a stimulus, such as movement or light.
The brain makes sense of the message
The hearing nerve carries signals to the brain. Nerves pass messages around the body. The brain processes the signals: you hear rustling and can consider whether leaves, paper or something else caused it. This pathway does not work the same way for everyone.
What does a sound wave mean?
Imagine children standing in a row, each briefly raising and lowering an arm in turn. A movement travels along the row while everyone stays in place. Sound similarly passes movement onwards. Air particles have no arms: they move back and forth, passing pressure changes to neighbours. Your ear responds to the arriving wave.
References for this explanation: [1], [2]
Additional specialist reference: OpenStax / Rice University: Sound
The key points again
Discovery 1
Sound can travel through air. Tiny particles of air move back and forth. This movement is called vibration.
Source: [1]
Discovery 2
Sound waves make the eardrum vibrate. The eardrum is a thin sheet of tissue inside the ear. Sound makes it move back and forth a little.
Source: [1]
Discovery 3
The movement is passed on to the inner ear, a part deep inside the ear. Special sensory cells there change it into nerve signals. These are tiny electrical messages that travel along nerves to the brain. The brain helps us recognise sounds.