why do your ears "pop" when you ascend to higher altitudes?

Question

please explain in "physics terms" such as pressure, molecules, ect. =]

***how does it affect your ears?

Answer 1

The ear canal is a tube, and at the end of the tube is the ear drum -- a thin piece of skin stretched tight like a drum over the end of the ear canal.on the other side of the ear drum is a hollow space filled with air, called the middle ear.
what you want is for the air in your ear canal and the air in the middle ear to have the same pressure.If they do, then the eardrum has equal pressure on both sides and it is smooth a
When you climb higher as in an airplane or in a car in the mountains, you are going into an area of lesser air pressure. The air from the lower altitude is 'trapped' in the inner ear. If it can not escape you will soon have an ear ache caused by the ear drum being balooned outward by the higher pressure inside.so.. it pushes out through the 'eustachian tube' into your throat with bubble-popping soun
usually your eustachian tubes equalize the pressure automatically,or you can try the blowing technique, yawning or chewing gum.

Answer 2

The atmospheric pressure decreases as you ascend. Your ears are a partially closed system, completely closed if you have a cold. You have eustachian tubes that connect your the tympanum (eardrum) and your nasopharynx (inner sinuses). When the pressure left inside your head from a lower altitude is much higher than the outside pressure at the higher altitude air is releases through the eustachian tubes and your ears "pop". If they did not pop evenually your eardrum would burst and your ears would bleed (this also happens in reverse coming down the mountain, and happens underwater also)

Answer 3

The phenomenon of popping ears is due to the difference in pressure on each side of the tympanic membrane (ear drum).

The pressure behind the eardrum is determined by the Eustachian tubes and it is somewhat isolated from the atmospheric pressure.

The pressure outside the eardrum is determined by the atmospheric pressure, which decreases with increasing altitude.

Since the pressure inside the head drops more slowly than the pressure outside the head, the pressure difference causes the eardrum to invert, resulting in a sharp "click". It will either click back or sag back slowly, depending on the re-equalisation of the pressure inside and outside the head.

Answer 4

Why Do Your Ears Pop

Answer 5

The pressure changes as you ascend or descend. As you descend the pressure gets stronger. As you ascend the opposite is true.

Answer 6

Pressure differential between the outside and inside of your head.

Answer 7

The pressure changes.