if a tree falls in a deserted wood...will it make a noise?

Question

if you say yes then how do you know

Answer 1

Yes, the squirrels told me.

Answer 2

Yes and No. Sound waves are only a noise if something is there to hear them. So assuming the wood is deserted of all animals with an abillity to hear then no there would be no sound. However you could say yes, because regardless of whether anyone is there to hear it the falling tree will produce sound waves.

Answer 3

Noise is defined as our interpretation of atmospheric vibrations as they impact our aural sense. The tree would create the vibration necessary for noise to be present, but if you adhere to the idea that noise is the ear's interpretation of those vibrations, then, technically, no, noise would not be present. Here's another quandry. If you place a tape recorder near the tree before it falls, but there is still no living entity within earshod of the vibrations created when the tree falls, would the noise not exist until the tape were played in range of a listening entity or would it be considered noise at the moment of fall?

Answer 4

Of course. But there is no one there to hear it.
Unless, someone is there, they do hear it and then come back to tell you about the phenomenon.
Eg. Lets invert the situation. If you have noisy neighbours and one day its too quiet, then who is to say that they are not there?
Maybe they are behaving the same way as normal, but without the extensive dramatics!
Another example, and this one works!
Imagine the tree is a CD, and the woods are a Music system.
When the CD is put into the system, the only way you know its there is through the speakers. They give the initial 'connection' when that tree hits the ground.
We as the audience only know the Cd is playing thanks to the output of sound waves through the speakers.

Isnt it clearly obviuos though?? :)

Answer 5

The same noise that you hear, when a tree falls in front of you. What else? At least the animals will hear it, Birds will fly away from it . It probably could kill some unsuspectingly animal along the way. Then the tree will rot away, some new tree is going to grow. Birds, squirrels and God knows what else is going to be near the new tree. Its called nature and is just as boring as my answer :)

Answer 6

I have heard this cliche so many times. One good way of thinking about it is by considering Newton's 3rd law ; "To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". As a tree falls, a hypothetical amount of energy is released. One of the manners in which this energy is dissipated, is through the medium of sound. Sound is interpreted in a number of different manners. In humans, vibrations on a thin skin membrane are intercepted at particular frequencies. These vibrations are made meaningful by the human brain. Dogs interpret sound at different frequencies; as do bats and dolphins. Bottom line, we can't argue about the existence of sound; it is simply energy at a certain frequency. How this sound is interpreted, varies across the various species who inhabit earth.

Answer 7

Yes, it will make an 'if' sound. I know because you said 'if' a tree falls in a deserted wood.......

Answer 8

it incredibly is an allegedly philosophical question which I even have continually recognised as stupid. the reply to it relies upon thoroughly on the way you define "noise". If for you noise are the vibrations transmited interior the direction of the air interior the style of waves which we call "sound", then you may verify that a tree makes noise, for the vibrations are there, whether there is somebody to discover them or no longer.

Answer 9

If you call your house and no one is there will the phone ring of course and the voice mail will pick up

Absent of voice-mail if a tree falls in the forest then yes their will be a sound even though you can;t hear it

Answer 10

If a tape recorder is present it will still be deserted and there will be a noise.

Answer 11

If you stay over with your girl/boy-friend and your alarm goes off in your own bedroom that same night - does it make a noise?
Wake up!