Which part of the ear connects the outer ear to the inner ear?

The middle ear is the part of the ear that connects the outer ear to the inner ear. It is an air-filled space that contains three small bones known as the ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes), which are crucial for transmitting sound vibrations from the outer ear to the inner ear. The outer ear consists of parts like the pinna and the ear canal, which collect sound and direct it to the tympanic membrane (eardrum) in the middle ear. The inner ear, on the other hand, contains the cochlea and auditory nerves, which are involved in converting sound vibrations into electrical signals that the brain can interpret.

The auditory nerve is responsible for transmitting signals from the inner ear to the brain, but it does not connect the outer ear to the inner ear directly. The cochlea is located in the inner ear, where sound is processed, and the outer ear is just the initial portion that captures sound waves and leads to the middle ear. Thus, it is the middle ear that serves as the critical link between the outer ear and the inner ear, facilitating the transition of sound.