Fuction of ears: Your ears have two main functions: hearing and balance. Hearing: When sound waves enter your ear canal, your tympanic membrane (eardrum) vibrates. This vibration passes on to three tiny bones (ossicles) in your middle ear. The ossicles amplify and transmit these sound waves to your inner ear. Once the sound waves reach your inner ear, tiny hair cells called stereocilia transform the vibrations into electrical energy and send it along nerve fibers to your brain. Balance: Your inner ear contains semicircular canals filled with fluid and hair-like sensors. When you move your head, the fluid inside these loop-shaped canals sloshes around and moves the hairs. The hairs transmit this information along the vestibular nerve to your brain. Finally, your brain sends signals to your muscles to help you stay balanced.