02-04-2009, 08:44 PM
The ossicles transmit vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the oval window, which transmits the vibrations into the fluid of the cochlea. The round window is something of a safety valve that moves out when the oval window moves in, and vice versa, for improved fluid flow. That flow of fluid in the cochlea is what stimulates the hairs (nerve endings) to translate sound to neural stimuli which are then transmitted up the 8th cranial nerve.
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