Anatomy of the Ear

There are three components of the ear: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The inner ear is responsible for balance.

The outer ear is composed of the pina, ear lobe, and external auditory canal. These funnel sound waves. The pina is responsible for protecting the ear drum from damage.

The middle ear is located in the temporal bone of the skull. Air pressure is equalized here through the Eustachian tube. The malleus, incus, and stapes are attached to the tympanic membrane and convert sound waves. The stapes connects the outer and middle ear.

The inner ear has two functions, hearing and balance. It has tubes filled with liquid encased within the temporal bone of the skull. Cells located for hearing are in the labyrinth tubes.