Which bone vibrates against the oval window and transfers sound into the inner ear?

Which bone vibrates against the oval window and transfers sound into the inner ear?

• A. Hammer
• B. Stirrup
• C. Anvil
• D. Eardrum

Answer: (B)

The last bone in the middle ear, the one shaped like a stirrup, directly interfaces with the inner ear. It presses against the oval window, transmitting the vibrations into the cochlea’s fluid. This step is essential because it converts airborne sound into mechanical waves inside the inner ear, beginning the process that hair cells translate into neural signals. The hammer and anvil pass vibrations along to this final bone, but they don’t contact the oval window themselves. The eardrum is a membrane that vibrates in response to sound and passes motion to the middle-ear bones, not a bone that touches the oval window.

The last bone in the middle ear, the one shaped like a stirrup, directly interfaces with the inner ear. It presses against the oval window, transmitting the vibrations into the cochlea’s fluid. This step is essential because it converts airborne sound into mechanical waves inside the inner ear, beginning the process that hair cells translate into neural signals. The hammer and anvil pass vibrations along to this final bone, but they don’t contact the oval window themselves. The eardrum is a membrane that vibrates in response to sound and passes motion to the middle-ear bones, not a bone that touches the oval window.