During a diagnostic hearing test, a pure tone produces a peak pressure variation on a patient's tympanic membrane (eardrum) of 3.2 × 10-3 N m-2. This signal is transmitted through the middle ear, resulting in a peak pressure variation of 9.6 × 10-2 N m-2 in the fluid of the inner ear.
Explain how the anatomical arrangement of the ossicles in the middle ear contributes to this pressure amplification.
The patient's tympanic membrane can be modeled as a flat circular disk of diameter 1.4 cm. The ossicles act as a lever system that increases the force transmitted to the oval window by a factor of 1.3. Calculate the effective area of the oval window, in m2\text{m}^2m2.
