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Cochlea Hearing & Tonotopic Map Simulator (2D)

Interactive 2D cross-section of the cochlea: drive a pure tone through the basilar membrane and watch the traveling wave peak at the tonotopic place coded by frequency, from the stiff high-frequency base to the floppy low-frequency apex.

Physics & Mechanics2DEasy60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

This 2D simulator uncoils the cochlea into a cross-section running from the stiff, narrow base at the oval window to the wide, floppy apex, and drives a traveling wave along the basilar membrane in real time. Move the frequency slider and watch the wave's peak amplitude slide along the membrane exactly as the Greenwood tonotopic map predicts — high tones peak near the base, low tones near the apex — while hair-cell tufts light up only in the excited region and the live readout reports the peak's position, the perceived pitch category, and how many hair cells are currently firing. Raising the volume slider grows the wave's amplitude and slightly widens the excited band, mirroring how loud sound over-stimulates a broader stretch of the membrane, base first.

⚙ Under the hood

An interactive 2D cross-section of the cochlea showing how a traveling wave along the basilar membrane peaks at a frequency-specific place, from the stiff high-frequency base to the floppy low-frequency apex.

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install