If a tree falls in the middle of the forest and no one hears it does it make any noise?

Answer 1

No.

First, I'll define how noise is created in our body. Then we'll take a trip into outer space and re-think this whole thing...

First, noise is defined as "air vibrations that are detected in the ear canal and transmitted via the eardrum and 3 very small bones to nerves in the inner ear that convert those vibrations that the eardrum detects into "noise" in your brain."

If the brain does not detect noise that is being sent from the eardrums, you do not have noise.

Now, let's go into space and prove there is no noise if you don't hear it. Space is a vacuum, thus there is NO AIR to vibrate. If an astronaut were to take two wrenches and bang them together in space, he might feel the vibrations in his gloves, but there will be no noise because there is no air to move and cause vibrations in his eardrum.

On Earth, we have air, so you would hear a clanging noise because air has moved (vibrated) and those vibrations have reached your eardrum as described above.

If the tree falls down and there is no eardrum anywhere to detect the noise, then there is no noise.

Answer 2

This is not a science question but a rather well known sophomoric philosophical question that brings attention to the fact that human perceptions and categorizations determine our awareness of events. If we are not present we have no knowledge of the event.

It also refers to the fact that our brain assembles our perceptions into knowledge of the world. If we don't hear the noise, there is no noise for us. Thinking about the possibility of the noise is not the same as hearing the noise.

But suppose that we had a recording device in that forest that recorded the sound of the fall. It could be played back later and the noise could be perceived. But until it was played back no noise would be heard.

Noise is a perceptual value judgment we make about the vibration of the air molecules caused by the falling tree.

Please be aware that no educated person is ever impressed by this question or by the person posing it. It is neither profound nor instructive.

Answer 3

www.dictionary.reference.com says - Sound "1. the sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of hearing by vibrations transmitted through the air or other medium."

It really does depend on your definition of sound. Because if sound only exists as a relationship between two objects (an emitter and a receiver) then it is impossible for sound to exist without someone hearing it. Like a phone call requires two people. Vibrations must be heard to be classified as sound. Otherwise they're just vibrations. So no, according to the dictionaries it doesn't make a sound... but it would make a lot of firewood.

Answer 4

I depends on your definition of noise. If noise is the vibration of the air, well yes the falling tree make noise. But if a noise is an irritating sound, well the tree can't make noise, because it can't irritate anyone hears.

Answer 5

The tree makes no noise because by definition noise must be heard by an observer.

The tree falling does make sound as sound is defined by the movement of air particles.

Answer 6

It makes a vibration. Sound is technically the translation of vibrations. A tree would only make a vibration, it isn't until we hear it that it becomes a sound. We don't speak as much as we vibrate our vocal cord and manipulate the waves it causes with our lips, teeth and tounge. Then our ear translates those "waves" into a language our brains decipher as words. We only know yellow sounds like yellow, because we are told yellow sounds like yellow.

Answer 7

OK, first lets answer another question: If a bear craps in the woods and there is no one around to smell it, does it still stink. Given: Bear crap stinks under all circumstances. So using the bear crap question as a corollary for the tree question, yes, the tree makes a sound. :)

Answer 8

Yes, the absence of an ear does NOT negate the sound waves existence .

Answer 9

I say yes. It's the old butterfly effect - everything that happens has an impact on something else, even if it's very small or goes unnoticed.

Answer 10

I'm surprised at all of the serious answers this q. got. I assumed the q. was unanswerable, like which came first, the chicken or the egg.