If a tree falls in a forest will it make a sound?

Question

If a tree falls in a forest will it make a sound?

Answer 1

Of course it does.

As Josh C said, sound is just the air being vibrated in various patterns.  If the falling tree is doing that, then, by definition, it is making a sound.

It does not matter at all if there is someone there to hear it.

Answer 2

Yes, depending how you want to look at it. It makes the POTENTIAL for sound. Sound is merely the air being vibrated in various patterns, which the human ear picks up as sound.

The tree will cause the air to vibrate, but since no human ears pick it up, if we assume there are no animals around, then it doesn't make a sound. It just has the potential.