There are three components to the ear: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear is the external portion of the ear, which consists of the auricle(pinna) and the ear canal. It gathers sound energy and focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane). The middle ear contains three tiny bones known as the ossicles: malleus, incus, and stapes. Inner ear, also called as labyrinth, part of the ear that contains organs of the senses of hearing and equilibrium. The bony labyrinth, a cavity in the temporal bone, is divided into three sections: the vestibule, the semicircular canals, and the cochlea. Cochlea determines the pitch of a sound. Cochlea is concerned with hearing. It looks like the shell of a snail as it spirals. The cochlea receives sound in the form of vibrations, which cause the stereocilia to move. The stereocilia then convert these vibrations into nerve impulses which are taken up to the brain to be interpreted.