The hearing mechanism begins when sound waves enter the ear through the outer ear, also known as the pinna. These waves travel through the ear canal and vibrate the eardrum, which is a thin membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear. The vibrations are then transmitted to three tiny bones in the middle ear called the ossicles, which amplify the sound. Next, the amplified vibrations move into the cochlea, a spiral-shaped structure in the inner ear filled with fluid. As the fluid moves, it stimulates tiny hair cells that convert the vibrations into electrical signals. These signals are then sent to the auditory nerve and transmitted to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.