Oval and round windows

[Lawrence Borden <lawrence.borden@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Folks,

Although it is probably a simple question for most of you, I have not run
across an answer to a question that occurred to me while gazing at the
lovely structure of the middle ear. Can anyone offer an explanation as to
why one window is oval while the other is round? Is there some additional
mechanical advantage to differing shapes?

Lawrence Borden
Vanderbilt University
Lawrence.Borden@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx