Paradoxical Direction of Wave Travel along the Cochlear Partition

The cochlear partition of the ear exhibits a strange phenomenon: waves produced by continuous sinusoidal stimulation may travel toward the vibrating source. A mechanical model was constructed which showed the same vibration pattern as the cochlear partition of the ear and the same paradoxical traveling direction. By stimulating various sections of the model it was possible to show how the traveling waves are formed and why their direction of travel is independent of the location of the driving source. This independence makes it clear why an over-all vibration of the bony walls of the capsule during hearing by bone conduction produces the same sensation as the transmission of the vibrations through the stapes.