How does the ear convert sound waves into neural signals?

Sound waves enter the outer ear and travel down the ear canal to the tympanic membrane, or eardrum, causing it to vibrate. These vibrations pass through three tiny bones in the middle ear called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup, which amplify the sound. The stirrup pushes against the oval window of the cochlea in the inner ear, creating waves in the fluid-filled chamber. Hair cells along the basilar membrane inside the cochlea bend in response to these waves and convert the mechanical energy into neural signals. ---