if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around dose it make a sound?

Answer 1

Well, since you saw fit to ask this question I'll give you the scientific reason of why not.
Sound is the vibration of a membrane in the ear, so if order for a sound to be made an ear drum would have to be within range of the frequency of vibrations emitted by the fall. Now, if you wanna count squirrels, deer, chipmunks, hoot owls, rabbitrs, bears and on and on and on well then you have to decide if the forest that contains said tree is completely void of all hearing animals. ???

Answer 2

This is kind of like: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?, but I'll give it my best shot.

I looked up the defination of "Sound" on m-w.com and deleted all definitions that weren't even close to what you are talking about (ex: Sara was sound asleep.).

-SOUND-
a : a particular auditory impression : TONE
b : the sensation perceived by the sense of hearing
c : mechanical radiant energy that is transmitted by longitudinal pressure waves in a material medium (as air) and is the objective cause of hearing
a : meaningless noise
5 : hearing distance : EARSHOT
6 : recorded auditory material

So I would say no. Sound seems to specifically deal with HEARING something. Though I suppose if there were a squirrel nearby or a bird or something, then it would be a sound because the animal would hear it.

Answer 3

Yes, sure it does... as it crashes to the ground of the forest all the wildlife in the forest can hear the sound [well, at least the wildlife that's closest to the falling tree.] The following are the lyrics to a song sang by Bruce Cockburn who asks the same question:

Rain forest
Mist and mystery
Teeming green
Green brain facing labotomy
Climate control centre for the world
Ancient cord of coexistence
Hacked by parasitic greedhead scam -
From Sarawak to Amazonas
Costa Rica to mangy B.C. hills -
Cortege rhythm of falling timber.

What kind of currency grows in these new deserts,
These brand new flood plains?

If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
Anybody hear the forest fall?

Cut and move on
Cut and move on
Take out trees
Take out wildlife at a rate of species every single day
Take out people who've lived with this for 100,000 years -
Inject a billion burgers worth of beef -
Grain eaters - methane dispensers.

Through thinning ozone,
Waves fall on wrinkled earth -
Gravity, light, ancient refuse of stars,
Speak of a drowning -
But this, this is something other.
Busy monster eats dark holes in the spirit world
Where wild things have to go
To disappear
Forever

If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
Anybody hear the forest fall?

Answer 4

Sure. The sound waves are still there whether or not anyone is in range to catch them. If two deaf people are sitting on top of a mountain with no one else around and one makes a noise, does that mean he didn't make a noise because neither one could hear it?

Answer 5

This is an old philosophy question.
If no one can perceive the existence of something, who's to say that that something exists at all?
The tree question is not really about whether the answer is yes or no. The value of the question is that it is a springboard for analysis and discussion among students of philosophy.
So any answer is acceptable, as long as you can argue the point.

Answer 6

While I'm sure the very first person to come up with this question thought it was thought-provoking and deep, I can only find it extremely self-centered. It's like asking "if my cat dies while I'm on vacation, did it really die?" Things happen when I'm not around, because the world doesn't revolve around me! I think a question that better addresses the philosophical intent of this one would be: "If you can't prove that something exists, does that mean it doesn't exist at all?"

Answer 7

The fall will create vibrations in the air but if there are no ears to hear would they be 'sound' !

Answer 8

No, the laws of physics cease to exist after hearing questions like this...

Answer 9

We wouldn't know sound without ears. Ears are made for sound, so sound is made for ears.

If words are spoken to empty space, were they ever really spoken? What's unheard isn't really said.

Answer 10

to the hippies yes it does make a sound!! everything makes a sound even the ppl who have no voice. ppl just need to listen more and you hear everything