When A tree falls does it make a sound?? why? why not?

Question

so do u think it makes a sound cause i really don't know??

Answer 1

If you mean, does a tree that falls in a forest make a sound when nobody is around, than the simple answer is no. Because sound is the perception in the human and animal minds of vibrations as perceived through the ear canal. Though the conditions to create sound are all there, namely the vibrations that are perceived as sound would be made by the tree falling, the simple fact is that sound requires an intelligent observer, whether human or animal.

Now for the less simple answer. To lead into it, I need to explain Schroedinger's cat/thought experiment (Oh why oh why couldn't he have used a snake, spider, or rat). And to be clear, he never actually tried this. It simjply remained a thought experiment, though terribly grotesque.

Explanation of the cat experiment from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci341236,00.html

Here's Schrödinger's (theoretical) experiment: We place a living cat into a steel chamber, along with a device containing a vial of hydrocyanic acid. There is, in the chamber, a very small amount of a radioactive substance. If even a single atom of the substance decays during the test period, a relay mechanism will trip a hammer, which will, in turn, break the vial and kill the cat. The observer cannot know whether or not an atom of the substance has decayed, and consequently, cannot know whether the vial has been broken, the hydrocyanic acid released, and the cat killed. Since we cannot know, the cat is both dead and alive according to quantum law, in a superposition of states. It is only when we break open the box and learn the condition of the cat that the superposition is lost, and the cat becomes one or the other (dead or alive). This situation is sometimes called quantum indeterminacy or the observer's paradox: the observation or measurement itself affects an outcome, so that it can never be known what the outcome would have been if it were not observed.

So in that case, than the tree in question, unobserved would remain both fallen and not fallen, both superimposed without an observer. And in that case, than until an observer happened by, though still no sound would occur (sound requiring observer) but vibrations necessary to produce sound in an observer would both occur and not occur.

Cool, huh?

Answer 2

When a tree falls it makes a sound just like any other falling physical object would make. It sounds more like an orchestra of being broken branches and of rustling crown of the falling tree.

Answer 3

Yes they make a huge crashing noise. I have lived in the country all my life and have heard many trees fall, some that were chopped down and some that fell on their own. The sound is really loud and incredible.

Answer 4

The tree does not make a sound. If you bring your both hands together quickly (clap), does you hand make a sound ( cry out). The sound is created by the force not the object.
Hope I did not confuse you more!

Answer 5

a psychologist would say NO, cause the psychological definition of sound is something that is perceived by someone else... if no one is in the woods when the tree falls, then it technically does not make a sound

Answer 6

Yes it makes a sound, whether we hear it or not. It may be loud or it may be quiet, but its there. something like that falling is sure to make a sound. jsut how it is. law of nature, and how it is. PPL will say if a sound is make in the forrest and noone hears it, is it still there? Yep. doesnt matter what we hear and dont hear, reality is it is there. Some things we see and hear and some things we dont. like faith. Its belief in the unseen things, not the seen things. seen things require no faith. But, those of strong faith in God, frequently do see into the supernatural realsm, and they are shownt to warn others, but few want to hear it. God tries all He can to tell us, and warn us, but its our choice whether we hear and obey or not.

Answer 7

Of course it does. Sound is a vibration in the atmosphere, detectable by things such as ears or microphones that are sensitive to such. The absence of a detector doesn't mean that the vibration is not there.

Answer 8

Yes, if you are talking about a sound which is a vibration that travels through the air wheather anyone hears it or not, than yes.

Answer 9

A year ago I would have said yes, but with everything that has come out about string theory I'm not so sure anymore. Perception is reality.

Answer 10

When a thing falls, does gravity gravitate.

The Will is positive, the Judgment is negative.