Which bone is the first auditory ossicle that transmits vibrations from the eardrum to the incus?

Which bone is the first auditory ossicle that transmits vibrations from the eardrum to the incus?

• A. Incus
• B. Stapes
• C. Pinna
• D. Malleus

Answer: (D)

Auditory ossicles form a chain that carries vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. The first bone in that chain is the malleus, the hammer, which is attached to the inner surface of the tympanic membrane. When the eardrum vibrates in response to sound, those vibrations move the malleus, which then transmits them to the next bone, the incus, and onward to the stapes, which interfaces with the oval window of the cochlea. The incus is the middle bone that receives from the malleus and passes to the stapes, not the first. The pinna is part of the outer ear, and the stapes comes after the incus in the chain.

Auditory ossicles form a chain that carries vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. The first bone in that chain is the malleus, the hammer, which is attached to the inner surface of the tympanic membrane. When the eardrum vibrates in response to sound, those vibrations move the malleus, which then transmits them to the next bone, the incus, and onward to the stapes, which interfaces with the oval window of the cochlea. The incus is the middle bone that receives from the malleus and passes to the stapes, not the first. The pinna is part of the outer ear, and the stapes comes after the incus in the chain.