How do we primarily hear sound?

Sound is primarily heard by collecting sound vibrations in the outer ear. The outer ear, which includes the pinna and the ear canal, serves to gather sound waves from the environment. These sound waves travel through the air and enter the ear canal, where they cause the eardrum to vibrate.

When the eardrum vibrates, these mechanical vibrations are transmitted to the tiny bones in the middle ear (the ossicles), which amplify the sound. This process allows our brain to interpret the vibrations as sound. The outer ear effectively acts as a funnel, directing sound waves into the inner workings of the ear, where they are processed into signals that the brain can understand.

This understanding of hearing emphasizes the important role of the outer ear's shape in capturing sound waves, as well as the subsequent conversion of these vibrations through the middle and inner ear structures into signals that provide the perception of sound.