Explain how the ear converts sound waves in the air to the nerve impulses sent to the brain.

a. sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate;

b. the eardrum transmits these vibrations to the bones (of the middle ear);

c. the bones (ossicles) amplify the vibrations;

d. the bones cause movement / vibration of the oval window;

e. (the oval window) causes movement of the fluid in the inner ear/cochlea:

f. causes movement of the hairs (of hair cells);

g. triggers action potential/nerve impulse;

h. transmitted to brain by the auditory nerve;

i. round window equalizes pressure in the inner ear;

The majority of candidates obviously used information from previous examination papers instead of focusing on the actual question, but were nevertheless successful. There was a wide range of answers in terms of clarity, but most candidates showed good knowledge of the processes occurring in the ear, simply lacking clear details such as the use of vibrations instead of sound, or the movement of hairs (not the hair cells themselves) in the cochlea as well as the formation of the nerve impulse.