What is the main function of ear bones?

The three ear bones (malleus, incus, and stapes) in the middle ear amplify and transmit sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear.

Here is a more detailed explanation:

- The eardrum vibrates in response to sound waves.

- The vibrations of the eardrum cause the malleus to move.

- The malleus is connected to the incus. As a result, the incus also vibrates.

- The incus is connected to the stapes. The stapes is the smallest bone in the body. It is also the last bone in the chain of ossicles. The vibrations of the incus cause the stapes to vibrate.

- The stapes transmits the vibrations to the oval window of the inner ear. The oval window is a membrane-covered opening that leads to the cochlea, which is the hearing organ of the inner ear.

The vibrations of the stapes cause the fluid in the cochlea to move, stimulating hair cells in the inner ear that convert the mechanical energy of sound into electrical signals that are interpreted by the brain.

Without these tiny ear bones, the vibrations of the eardrum would be too weak to be detected by the inner ear, and we would be unable to hear.

The ear bones also protect the delicate inner ear from damage caused by loud sounds. When the sound is too loud, the stapes contracts, closing off the oval window and reducing the amount of sound that reaches the inner ear.