Sound collected by the ear travels through the external auditory canal to the tympanic membrane —— The tympanic membrane converts incoming sound into vibrations —— The auditory ossicular chain (auditory ossicles) moves in response to the vibrations, transmitting them to the cochlea —— Fluid in the cochlea begins to move, stimulating the hair cells —— Hair cells produce electrical signals that are picked up by the auditory nerve —— Hair cells at one end of the cochlea send a low-frequency sound message, and those at the other end of the cochlea send a high-frequency sound message —— The brain translates the electrical signals into sound.