Final answer:
The auditory ossicles amplify sound waves and transmit them from the eardrum to the inner ear, with significant amplification before reaching the cochlea.
Step-by-step explanation:
The function of the auditory ossicles in the middle ear is to amplify sound waves and to transmit the vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. Specifically, they conduct the vibrations to the fluid-filled cochlea. The auditory ossicles consist of the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrup), and they are the smallest bones in the body. They work together as a lever system to amplify the mechanical force exerted by sound pressure variations on the eardrum, with an amplification factor of about 40 times, and transmit it via the oval window to the cochlea, which starts the process of converting these mechanical vibrations into electrical signals for the brain to interpret as sound.
Additionally, two muscles in the middle ear function to protect the inner ear from very intense sounds by reducing the force transmitted to the cochlea. However, the primary roles of the ossicles are sound amplification and transmission, not conversion of sound into electrical signals or protection from loud sounds. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is to amplify sound waves and to transmit them from the eardrum to the inner ear.