Our ears pickup all the sounds around us our ears help us to hear and also to keep our balance.
The ear isn’t just the hearing organ. It is a complex system of parts that not only allows humans to hear, but also makes it possible for humans to walk.
Size
Ears come in many shapes and sizes. Typically, men’s ears are larger than women’s, according to a study in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Researchers also found that the average ear is about 2.5 inches (6.3 centimeters) long, and the average ear lobe is 0.74 inches (1.88 cm) long and 0.77 inches (1.96 cm) wide. They also noted that the ear does indeed get larger as a person ages.
Another study at Texas Tech University confirmed this observation. The study found that as people age, the ear's circumference increases on average 0.51 millimeters per year, likely due to aging changes of collagen. A correlation between age and ear circumference can be put into an equation: Ear circumference in mm = 88.1 + (0.51 x subject's age). Conversely, a person’s age can therefore be calculated by the size of a person’s ear, using the equation: Subject's age = 1.96 x (Ear circumference in mm – 88.1)
Advertisement
Function
The ear has three main parts: external ear, middle ear and inner ear. They all have different, but important, features that facilitate hearing and balance.
Hearing
The external ear, also called the auricle or pinna, is the loop of cartilage and skin that is attached to outside of the head. It works much like a megaphone. Sound is funneled through the external ear and piped into the external auditory canal, according to Nebraska Medicine. The auditory canal is the part of the ear hole that can easily be seen when looking an ear up close.