if a tree falls in a forest

[Polaroid]

For those of you saying "Duh!", you don't know, because no one is around to hear it.

 

[Alimania]

Yes. Even though no one is around to hear it, it still makes a sound.

 

[Polaroid]

Yes. Even though no one is around to hear it, it still makes a sound.

How do you know?

You're not there to hear it.

 

[paper*cut]

How do you know?You're not there to hear it.

Well if sometihng as heavy as a tree fell to the ground

Im preety sure it would make a sound

Sounds are vidrations in the air caused my movement and a tree hitting the ground will cause vibrations thus making noise.

 

[paper*cut]

Well I guess I have no idea what im talking about

Ill just you know lie down....

 

[Gejitchi]

I've always been more interested in what it is that causes all these trees to fall down in the middle of nowhere where no one's around.

 

[Richard8777]

Lol, you can't really answer this for sure. You don't know because obviously you weren't there. And,i think,if noone or any animal was around to here it,it'd just vibrations,nothing more./

 

[paper*cut]

Yea but vibrations are sounds :/

 

[Lily12]

You never said it was a heavy tree. The tree could look like that christmas tree from charlie brown. :/

 

[princess08]

Well, us as humans, we consider 'sound' as whatever catches our ear. But really, if you say, "You haven't made a sound" to someone, they have, because they've been breathing, and the bacteria around things have been making unhearable sounds, so really, it does, but we will not hear it, so it does not make a sound.

 

[blue♣slip]

well, it would be a better question if it were "if a tree falls in the forest, and nothing that could ever possibly pick up sound were there to hear it, would it stil make a sound?" but then you would have to remove all life from earth. including all of the trees. then ou would have to remove the eacutal earth, but then that would make the question obsolete anyways. i think that the only reason that this question is here is because it's powered by opinions.

by the way, i voted trees are cool.

 

[Jinx3295]

lol i think it makes a sound.

 

[Fallenstar--]

This question always makes me think.Well, it's not like the tree is the only thing in this forrest.  There are probably deer, rabbits, squirrels, etc. who hear it as well.

So I think yes, it does make a sound.

In the question people usually say "If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody's there to see it, does it make a sound?"

If nobody's there to see it.

Actually, I still use to think, like other people posted, 'A sound is a sound, no matter if someone's there to hear it or not'. But, in Snickerpie's post he says it's been scienctifically said that a sound isn't a sound if no one is there to hear it. So, if this is true, the anwser is no.

FS--

 

[spiffy]

It makes a sound.

Like paper*cut pointed out, any object in movement makes compression waves on the air that surrounds it. These compression waves become vibrations through the air while the tree falls and through a solid material when it falls against the ground/goes against the other trees.

These waves will most probably be picked up by an animal's sense of hearing, but even if no animal hears it, the sound was still produced because the vibrations and compression waves were emitted.

And even if we can't hear very light sounds, there are other animals with a higher capacity of hearing than us that will be able to hear it so... Scientifically, yes, of course it makes a sound.

 

[Locky458]

Well yeah, I think.

If something that big and tall falls it will make a sound and the animals in the forest will defiantly react to it.

I mean come on, a FORREST TREE, you know how big those trees can get?

 

[tamaw/pants]

sound 1 (sound)

n.

1.

a. Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or a liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing.

b. Transmitted vibrations of any frequency.

c. The sensation stimulated in the organs of hearing by such vibrations in the air or other medium.

d. Such sensations considered as a group.

2. A distinctive noise: a hollow sound.

If a tree falls, it emits vibrations. If there is someone, or something, there it will bounce of the eardrums and create a noise. According to the 1c definition, no. It would not make a sound because there was no organ to recieve those vibrations. But, in definition 1a, you may consider it so because it was between 20hz and 20,000hz but then you go back to def. 1c.

On the other hand, 1b states that even if we can't actually detect the sound, it's still a sound. Consider the dog whistles; we may not be able to hear it but the dogs can and so it's still a sound.

I think it rests in what you define sound to be.

 

[Kelly_Clarkson8]

I believe that no sound is heard.

Like Tamaw/pants said "It would not make a sound because there is no organ to recieve the vibrations"

Sound is vibrations, and when a tree falls, it emits a lot of vibrations, those vibrations travel through the air, until they are diminished, or they reach our eardrums. If we were in the forest at the time the tree fell, we would hear it, because the vibrations it emits, would travel to our eardrums.

But, if no one was there to hear it, the vibrations would continue on until they are eventually diminished. =]

Vibrations are only sound once they reach an organ capable of hearing.

From the information stated in this post, I believe, really, there is no sound.

But, no one can truly answer this question, its just one of those questions that no one will ever know.

KC8--

 

[VioletetchiGirl101]

the topic is clear, if a tree fall and no one is there to here it, does it make a sound?

Me my mom and dad saw that commercial yesterday

 

[kuchipatchi girl]

maybe, maybe not. But here's a question. if a tree falls in the forest, and it hits a mime, and no none is around to hear it, does anyone care? i have NO IDEA wht a mime would be in a forest anyway.

 

[Mileyroxursox2342]

Dude like take a chill pill or something :l

Dude, you take a chill pill.