Does a Tree make a noise when it falls over if there is no one there to hear it fall?

Answer 1

Yes because the speed of sound has a mathematical equation that has been proven to be 100% accurate. Man doesn't have to be present in order for it to exist. Just like the speed of light has an actual calculation, so does the speed of sound.

Answer 2

This is an old one and, because I am tired this question, I will give you an answer.
From a scientific point of view, that tree makes noise. The fact that you don't hear the noise (or you don't see the tree thus not being aware of its existence) does not mean that the tree cannot make noise when it falls. There are may explosions in the Universe that are happening right now, but you don't hear them. Does it mean that the Universe is silent?
From a philosophical point of view, why would you care about that tree? Are you sure that it exists? Are you sure that you exist? How do you know that the trees that fall around you are not the projection of the trees that fell long ago in a place that nobody has been, yet? Moreover, if the tree that has just fell wasn't known by anyone in its entire life, isn't the noise caused by its fall irrelevant? I say it is, so, again, why would I care about a tree whose existence I have never been aware of? I have bills and taxes to pay, you know...

Answer 3

This is a deep philosophical question. Fundamentally it is a metaphysical question; it is about our perception of reality – does reality exists the way we perceive it? It is possible that this entire universe is a fabrication of our own fancy so complete that we do not find any flaw to rest our case? This question also makes one think, imagine, wonder and also feel sentimentally about what happened.

The fact of the situation can be viewed with a belief that there is no such thing as sound, or light or sense of taste independent of ourselves – our sensory perception make things appear what they look, sound, taste or feel like. In this view things have an independent nature of their own only we with own senses perceive them the way we know them.

If there is no one around to witness an event in nature then that event can also be perceived through indirect means of observation, and then that will be defined in terms of what is most probable thing that has actually happened.

You might have known about the tree falling in the forest though other sources as for example when you next day went to the forest and you saw the tree down. Then you might realistically have imagined what would that have sounded like based upon you previous aural experience of such events. In that case the falling of the tree sound almost exactly like any tree falling.

It is also likely that it would echo in ears subjectively. This someone this might seem like a sob, a scream, a crash, or a tragic event of somewhere happening. Subjective observations can be entirely imaginative or highly fanciful; they can bring along emotional arousal and can influence our perception of reality. They however do add sentimental values to all things happening elsewhere.

By the way I am a strong supporter of Forests, and other natural habitats.

Answer 4

Irrespective of whether there is no one there, the tree will still emit a noise when it falls, we just would not hear it if we was not in that location at the precise moment the tree fell.

Answer 5

LMAO...that is the oldest question in the world, other then, which came first, the chicken or the egg......i would have to say the tree would have to make noise even tho there is nobody around to hear it fall.....there is air around it ...air carries sound so therefore it has to make a sound........

Answer 6

A better question would be:

"If a tree falls over in the wood, and no-one is there to see it, does anyone care?"

Answer 7

Of course it does... the sound waves are still transmitted, they are just not translated into "sound as we know it" by our brains.

If you had a light that was powered by sound and you placed it next to a falling tree and wore noise canceling earmuffs, the light would still come on.


This one will really get you though; is this sentence true or false:

"This sentence is false."

True or false? :)

Answer 8

When a tree falls it creates vibrations...it would not be a noise until something capable of turning vibration into noise..a frequency....it would depend on how far the vibration carried...

Answer 9

I've always been offended by this question. We as humans always think that the world stops when we are not there.

Why do things stop if we are not there?

If it makes a sound when you're there then it makes a sound when you are not there.

What the birds, raccoons etc.. don't count?

Answer 10

Yes. We live in a vibratory universe, and sound is a vibration. It does not matter whether there is an observer or not, the vibration still occurs, therefore, there is a sound created.