Hearing is the result of an amazingly complex series of events that convert sound waves into auditory signals to the brain.
First, invisible sound energy is collected in the outer ear and sent down the ear canal. It is changed to a mechanical energy - a movement or vibration - in the middle ear. 
The vibration of the tiny middle ear bones causes fluid in the inner ear to move, which in turn bends thousands of tiny hair cells. The bending of the hair cells results in sending a signal to the brain along the Auditory Nerve.
There are many levels of processing in the brain before we actually “hear” and connect meaning to sounds.
Hearing loss results when there is a breakdown in this complex chain of events.
*Image provided by Learning Through Listening
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