The thin membrane that moves in and out in response to sound waves colliding with it and passes the vibration on to the middle ear is the tympanic membrane. It is a thin layer of tissue that functions to receive vibrations of sound from the air and transmit these to the auditory ossicles. It is located at the end of the external canal and has a shape of a flattened cone with the apex pointing inward. It is also called the eardrum. It has three layers which are the outer layer which is continuous with the skin, the inner layer which is continuous with mucous membrane and in between a radial layer of fibers which gives the membrane its stiffness.
