Sound becomes mechanical movement via the eardrum and ossicle chain

Evidence

The malleus is fixed to the middle fibrous layer of the tympanic membrane in such a way that when the membrane is at rest, it is pulled inward. Thus the tympanic membrane when viewed down the auditory canal from outside appears concave and conical in shape. One end of the stapes, the stapes footplate, is attached to the oval window of the cochlea. The malleus and incus are joined quite firmly such that at normal intensity levels, they act as a single unit, rotating together as the tympanic membrane vibrates to move the stapes via a ball-and-socket joint in a piston-like manner. Thus acoustic vibrations are transmitted via the tympanic membrane and ossicles as mechanical movements to the cochlea of the inner ear. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 524

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the basic mechanical transmission path of the ear that later acoustic detail builds on.
• XREF: connects to: The ossicles convert air vibrations into mechanical movements that drive cochlear fluid; The eardrum converts air pressure changes into mechanical middle-ear vibrations — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 520; The middle ear amplifies sound pressure through three mechanical mechanisms (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• The ossicles convert air vibrations into mechanical movements that drive cochlear fluid #expands (0.95)
• The eardrum converts air pressure changes into mechanical middle-ear vibrations #expands (0.90) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 520
• Hearing is a staged chain from air capture through mechanical conduction to neural processing #expands (0.85) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 718
• The middle ear amplifies sound pressure through three mechanical mechanisms #expands (0.80)
• Outer and middle ear structures provide frequency-specific amplification of incoming sound #expands (0.75) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 212