Anatomically, the ear can be divided into three major sections- outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. The middle ear contains three delicate bones, called the auditory ossicles. From outer to inside, the sequence of these bones is malleus, incus and stapes. The malleus bone is hammer-shaped. The handle of the malleus is attached to the inner side of the tympanic membrane. The incus bone is anvil-shaped and the stapes bone is stirrup-shaped. The three bones are attached to one another in a chain-like fashion, one after the another. The stapes is attached to another membrane called the oval window. The oval window acts like the 'door' to the inner ear. These ear ossicles increase the force of the vibration.