Question

What is the function of the stirrup in the human body?

Answer 1

Hint: Our middle ear is made up of three bones ie. Incus. Malleus and Stirrup. Together with the Incus (the anvil) and the Malleus, the stirrup or Stapes is one of the ear bones or ossicles (the hammer). Sound signals are transmitted from the tympanic membrane (eardrum) to the fluids in the cochlea (inner ear) by these three bones vibrating.

Complete answer:
Incus, malleus, and Stirrup are three bones of the middle ear that pass on the vibrations of sound that have travelled through the outer ear. The three bones vibrate and transmit vibrations to the inner ear and then the vibrations are passed through the auditory nerve to get the sensation of hearing. The bones attach the eardrum to the inner ear and are known as auditory ossicles.

Stapes: It is the smallest and the lightest bone in the body. The stapes are stirrup-shaped bones. The stapes has a footplate and an arch. This footplate is fixed in place by a ring-like piece of tissue in the oval window, which is the inner ear's entry.

The function of the stirrup is it allows the sound to transmit to the inner ear through the oval window.

Note:
I) Malleus: The malleus connects the eardrum to the malleus. It has a handle that is fixed to the eardrum's inner surface and a head that is hanging from the tympanic cavity's wall.
II) Incus: The malleus is attached to the incus on the side closest to the eardrum, and the stapes are connected to the incus on the side closest to the inner ear.