How does our sense of hearing work?

The sounds we hear are based on vibrations called sound waves.

The sounds around us are vibrations in the air known as external sound waves. These vibrations are picked up by the outer ear and then amplified in the middle ear.

Chewing food also triggers vibrations in your mouth, for example, when you chew crispy or crunchy food such as biscuits. Your jawbones transmit these vibrations directly to the middle ear.

The inner ear turns sound waves into electrical impulses that are then transmitted to the brain by the auditory nerve.