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Article: Your body's balancing act. (how the inner ear acts to maintain balance in the body)
- Article from:
- U.S. Kids
- Article date:
- April 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Children's Better Health Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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You've probably had fun making yourself dizzy by spinning around and then stopping suddenly. And you've probably felt that weird sensation when a car goes fast over a hill or when a roller coaster drops down quickly. But did you know that both these feelings are linked to the jelly, crystals, and hairs inside your ears? Let's take a closer look and see how it works!
Inside your skull is a part of the hearing system called the inner ear. Half of the inner ear is made up of the cochlea (KOK-lee-uh), a spiral tube that resembles a snail shell. This part of the inner ear is used for hearing. Other parts of this system are used for balance.
Near the ...