Békésy (Georg von Békésy)

Georg von Békésy was a scientist who discovered how the inner ear helps us hear. He studied the cochlea, a spiral-shaped part of the ear, and found that when sound enters, it creates wave-like vibrations along the cochlea. Different parts of the cochlea respond to different sound frequencies, with high sounds near the base and low sounds near the apex. Békésy's experiments showed how these vibrations are translated into nerve signals, allowing us to perceive pitch and sound intensity. His work greatly advanced our understanding of hearing mechanics and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1961.