if a tree falls in the forest and nobody in there to hear it does it make a sound? Why/Why not?

Answer 1

Yes, the tree does make a sound. The trees resonance is totally independent of human presence and it can't sense if there's anyone there to hear it, so it will make a sound even if it is not heard.

Hope this is a clear explanation.

Answer 2

Boy has this been asked to the point of exhaustion!
If a tree falls in the woods and no person was there to hear its fall it would still make a sound. Sound exists regardless of human interference and will continue well after we are gone. By a person being present we are simply able to verify through this individual that the sound of a tree falling was heard. This of course would depend upon whether or not the person in question understood what a tree falling would sound like. If they have never heard it before they may mistake it for something else and never realize that a tree had fallen.

Answer 3

I'm not sure if Bishop Berkeley knew the current scientific understanding of sound when he asked this question (namely, the vibration of air molecules), but I would not be surprised if he did. The answers that attempt to define sound physically in this manner seem to be missing the point. Also, I don't think it has to do with choosing to define "sound" as necessarily requiring a human presence (and simply calling it "vibration of air" when there's no one around). Rather, the issue is rooted in Berkeley's philosophy of idealism.

The true question is -- how would you know for certain if a tree falling in an empty forest makes a sound? It is impossible to be absolutely sure, simply because no one is there to verify it! (We are also assuming that tape recorders violate the rule of "no one being present", since by using them humans are indirectly capable of "being there").

So it is impossible to say for certain that the tree does make a sound or does not. In fact, how do we know that the trees in the forest are still there at all when we're not looking?

To think that trees might not make sounds when no one is around, or that they might not even exist at all, seems to violate common sense. However, it is not logically invalid to suggest this. There is no way to disprove the idea that "when no one or no thing is looking/listening, falling trees make no sounds".

Berkeley's point is summed up in his dictum "to be is to be perceived". He thinks one can only be absolutely sure that something exists if someone is looking at it, right then and there. But Berkeley is no solipsist -- he believes that God is constantly "looking at" or observing everything, and only because of this is the natural world always the same regardless of whether we humans are examining it or not.

Understanding this argument can take some time to sink in, but if you really think about what it means to "prove beyond all doubt" that something happens (such as that trees make a sound when falling), you have to experience it firsthand (or else you cannot really be sure).

Of course, then there are problems with the certainty of sensory knowledge elucidated by Descartes and many others, but that's a whole different topic.

Answer 4

Why would anyone need to be there for a sound to be made or heard. Common sense says that the wave frequencies caused by friction of trees falling in the forest are natural aftereffects that exist regardless if your ear drums are within listening distance or not. To think otherwise, is ludicrous.

Answer 5

Since sound is a physical entity able to emerge from the physical impact of certain physical bodies, it sure will.
Why? Because noise not only exists when there´s someone or something to interpret it or sense it.
But, what if your question was: "A crime would still be a crime if committed in the absence of legal institutions? Would it be shameful or horrible for a social group if, in a distant tribe, a man decided to rape a women?" These questions address the idea that some things don´t depend on human judgement or interpretation, and others do.

Answer 6

Sound is just vibrations in air (or another medium) caused by something moving. It happens regardless of weather there is a human around or not. In fact, sound would exist even if there were no humans (or life). Sound is NOT a sensation in the human ear or mind as someone else stated. So yes the tree still makes a sound.

Answer 7

the ultimate answer for this age old question is definately yes... sounds is not dependant on human presence... there are also always animals that will hear the sound of a tree falling or it cracking so the answer is within... but the answer is yes...

Answer 8

Question sounds familiar. Have you been watching the Fresh Prince of Bel Aire...if yes, you will understand this: depends on whether it falls on a gopher, Uncle Phil or near a subway. LOL

Answer 9

Trust me it makes a sound, depending on the tree size, but one heck of noise, Didn't see it fall, but in a heavy snow storm & wind. In the bush on the other side of the river, Many huge trees. Scared the heck out of me. till I realized what it was.Thunderous crash that echoed.

Answer 10

Of course it does. This has to be the dumbest question ever. I do not know why people ask it so much. It is common sense that it has to make a sound whether anybody is there or not!