If a tree falls down in a forest, and nobody's there, does it make a sound?

Question

If a tree falls down in a forest, and nobody's there, does it make a sound?

Answer 1

We're assuming that the tree is not in a vacuum or surrunded by buddhists so yes it would.

Answer 2

If a man is wrong and  there is no woman around to correct him , is he still wrong?

hahahah saw that on a shirt once

Answer 3

NO..  If you mean no ears at all in the vicinity.

Sound is defined as, "the sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of hearing by vibrations transmitted through the air or other medium." (dictionary.reference.com)

No ears...  no sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of hearing by vibrations....  Therefore, no sound...

Answer 4

The answer is not quite as simple as some people think.  It all depends on how you define 'sound'.

If you simply mean air vibrations, then of course the tree makes a sound.  But if you mean something that can be heard, then the answer is no - the tree cannot be heard if there is no person (or animal) there to hear it, and no recording equipment to register the sound for future hearing.

The disturbance of the air molecules is a 'primary' feature of the air - it does not require a brain to make it happen.  But sound (in the sense of something audible) is a 'secondary' feature - it only arises when the disturbance is processed by the ear and brain.  It is like the difference between light waves of a particular wavelength (primary feature), and colour itself - e.g. the actual 'redness' of red light (secondary feature).

As with many puzzles, the answer depends on the careful definition of terms.

Answer 5

Of course. You will expect anything that weighs more than 0.1g to make a sound when they hit the ground. Even a pin dropped to the ground makes a sound.

Even if you assume that the tree falls on very soft grass and doesn't make a sound when it hits the ground, surely the tree will make rustling sounds as it falls?

Answer 6

The old paradox!

The old answer is to leave a recording device near (but not too near) to an obviously rotten tree and come back when it has fallen.

It might well have let out a loud barking noise.

Answer 7

yes

Answer 8

It is an arrogant position to take, to assume that because you are not there, something doesn't happen.

The human being is but an incredibly small cog in this unbelievably gob-smacking universe.

Answer 9

Well sound is caused by vibrations in the air, so the answer is yes.

Surley when you previewed this question you must have noticed how many times it has been asked before, just do a search for the answers.

Answer 10

Yes, it makes a sound.'

Just because I don't live in Japan, doesn't mean there are not people living there.

These kinds of questions do not make sense.

Answer 11

Obviously the answer is yes.