Start blogging by creating a new post. You can edit or delete me by clicking under the comments. You can also customize your sidebar by dragging in elements from the top bar.
We will never find out. Since the definition of sound is "something that you hear " , and no one's there to hear the tree fall , the tree doesn't make any sound.
This answer is valid as long as no technical details are looked into. for example , when a tree falls and we hear it we can make it out because of that satisfying "thunk". A forest is a self sustaining ecosystem , which has other living creatures excluding humans also like birds , animals etc. all of which have the ability to hear . In case a tree falls it creates vibrations in the air , but since no humans are present to interpret those vibrations it appears as though the sound was never made.
In my opinion, if a tree falls in a forest it will definitely create some sound as sound is nothing but the vibration of molecules in the air. But the amusing part is that trees don’t have ears so they will not hear anything but they will surely feel the tremor. To sum it up, I would say it will create sound but it will not be heard as there is no person in the forest to hear it.
We will never find out. Since the definition of sound is "something that you hear " , and no one's there to hear the tree fall , the tree doesn't make any sound.
This answer is valid as long as no technical details are looked into. for example , when a tree falls and we hear it we can make it out because of that satisfying "thunk". A forest is a self sustaining ecosystem , which has other living creatures excluding humans also like birds , animals etc. all of which have the ability to hear . In case a tree falls it creates vibrations in the air , but since no humans are present to interpret those vibrations it appears as though the sound was never made.
Reply
Meghna Bhaskar
7/21/2012 06:01:11 pm
It is obvious that the tree does produce sound.If a person is standing near by, then the sound is audible else the person wont be able to listen to it.Sound is basicly produced when the molecules in air vibrate,and when the waves produced by this vibration are collected by our ear we hear the sound.So,its clear that sound is produced
Reply
Harley
6/26/2012 07:26:45 pm
If you placed a microphone by the tree falling and waited for it to fall, you would hear the tree falling on the microphone. Surely the presence of a microphone doesn't determine whether or not some of the kinetic energy of the falling tree actually gets turned into sound energy?
Reply
Harley
6/26/2012 07:33:22 pm
If you are on a different planet and you are an alien who can only hear but not see and there is no air, you could risk your life by standing by it. Because you wouldn't be able to hear it, as sound waves dont travel vacuum. However if the tree was on fire, you would be able to feel the heat from the tree and might able to move.
Reply
Harley
6/26/2012 07:43:00 pm
** A tree wouldn't normally be able to catch fire in space as there is no oxygen for the fire to burn. However following the same concept as fusion in stars, burning hydrogen to release helium
Josh Crew
6/26/2012 07:35:28 pm
Since I feel it is difficult to define exaclty what 'sound' is, I feel it is impossible to answer this question. Whether or not it makes a noise is a different matter entireley. I feel that someone does not have to meet the vibrations created by the fall of a tree for it to be regarded as a noise.
Reply
Tom
6/26/2012 07:39:25 pm
Depends which definition of sound you look at. Going by a physics textbook yes it would, however if you look at a dictionary definition then it wouldn't.
Reply
Karan
6/26/2012 07:40:21 pm
I think it would because it's an object falling and will make sound waves. It would definately make a noise but if the tree happens to be on a different planet then we will not be able to hear it as there maybe no air for the waves to travel through.
Reply
Jack Yung
6/26/2012 07:44:37 pm
As the tree is standing up it has potential energy. As the tree falls down to the ground its potential enery is converted into kinetic energy and longitudinal waves (sound waves), The longitudinal waves will cause the compression and rarefraction of air molecules in the amosphere creating a sound. However if the tree was to fall down to the ground on another planet where there are no air molecules the sound waves cannot travel as they need matter to compress and rarefract and therefore the sound waves cannot be heard. Pluto has a smaller mass compared to Earth and has a weaker gravitational force.Therefore the noise produced by the tree hitting the floor will produce a sound wave with a smaller frequency compared to the frequency of a sound wave produced on Earth. The frequency of the sound wave produced on Pluto may be so small that it's in fact not within the audible reigion of any organism and therefore cannot be heard.
Reply
Aaron Watkins
6/26/2012 09:44:31 pm
To answer the question first we must define the concept of sound, sound is the auditory effect of vibrations in an elastic medium it is created by a series of compressions and rarefractions of air molecules assuming there is no vacuum for which longitudinal waves cannot travel through. However it would be impossible to actually ascertain what sound is as it is a subjective interpretation of a receiver i.e. a human. In other words if we imagine a series of transmitted pulses which reach the ear, these pulses are then transferred into electrical signals within the auditory circuits of the brain creating so called 'sound'. In this way we will never know. It follows from the Heisenberg uncertainty principle that something being observed changes the thing being observed, as there is no observer hypothetically no 'sound' as we know it is observed
Reply
Aaron Watkins
7/2/2012 08:14:46 am
*I meant the observer effect not the uncertainty principle.
Reply
Atmaja Swadia
6/27/2012 12:46:01 am
If a tree falls in a forest there will be a sound, the thud of the falling bark and the crunching of the leaves being crushed under it, the sound of the frightened birds as they fly out of falling tree. So yes, when the tree falls there will be a sound, but to us, humans, who live in the city, very far away from the forest, the sound is fallacious, or inoperative
Reply
Jane Gardner
6/27/2012 05:44:41 am
The falling tree will make a sound as it falls, the absence of a human being does not alter that, so yes, the falling tree creates sound vibrations that could manifest in phenomena that is recognisable by humans across great distances.
In my opinion, if a tree falls it does make a very loud sound which is though not heard by humans but will be heard by birds and other living creatures in the forest. This opinion is only considered right when we think about it technically but if we think about it differently than the outcome will be that the sound created by the tree will not be called a sound because there will be no one around it who would actually care about its falling and hence its making or not making a sound will not matter to anyone.....No one will understand or feel the pain or the circumstances of its falling.... its voice would not be heard to anyone ... and in nowadays life no one actually cares about anything or anyone other than himself or herself....... and hence they do not understand the importance of a few things which are a very vital part of our lives.....at the end i would just say that the falling of the tree will make a sound but that sound would not reach a human's ear...... whether he is around the falling tree or not ...... :)
Reply
Dhruv Gupta
7/1/2012 01:49:34 am
I think it's a paradox in a way. Technically it still makes a sound but can a sound really exist if it isn't heard?. It is a rhetorical question in every sense of the word.
The tree that falls in the forest will not make any sound if there is no one around to hear it. In fact that tree might as well not exist. Existence is only a result of human awareness, we are the cause of everything we see, hear, feel, or smell. If we had a nuclear holocaust that killed every human in the universe then the universe would cease to exist. Awareness is a requirement for existence. So the tree never even fell, it was simply discovered as having fallen. Without awareness travel through the fourth dimension is impossible. So while the tree is laying on the ground when you find it there was never a fall and so no sound.
Reply
Sampriti Mishra
7/4/2012 05:34:03 pm
In my opinion, it will definitely produce sound irrespective of the fact that there was no one around. Sound exists whether there is someone to hear it or not! Elephants and dogs can hear sounds that we cannot. Because we cannot hear them does not mean they do not exist.
The presence or absence of a person does not make any difference to the sound being produced. What I mean to say is that absence of a person CAN NOT stop the production of sound! However, if the trees continue to fall and there is no one to take notice of it, sooner or later it will surely affect us and our world!
Reply
Ritwik Chakravarti
7/4/2012 07:05:39 pm
Sound looking our physics book one will find it is something that is caused by micro-vibration or oscillations which is collected by our ear's pinna and then via the eardrum and with the help of a ionized fluid our brain decodes it and hence we can hear the "sound". Hence, if near the tree "no people" is around logically no one will hear the sound and hence relative to us the sound doesn’t exist. Then comes the question of science, the instant the tree falls on the ground and while falling the air molecules it pushes away, all vibrate (never mind the frequency) hence scientifically there is sound.
But, if we go into a philosophical level, if and only if someone acts upon a particular signal the signal exists. Hence, even if hundreds of thousands of people are present around the tree and every single soul hears the sound but doesn’t do anything, philosophically speaking the sound doesn’t exists.
Greek philosophers like Plato and others believed that the five elements – Fire, Earth, Sky, Water and Air are living. Hence, according to them these could perceive the sound and even without human and animal souls the sound exists relative to the soil, rocks, air, etc.
We can partially relate it with a question posed by the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger which deals with two possibilities of a same object, much like a head or tails if a coin, that unless it is stopped it the coin is both head and tails in two parallel universes which cannot interact with each other.
Hence, according to me the sound is both produced and not produced in two parallel universes. And which one is the truth cannot be determined unless we assume some possibilities such as the life in the elements, or whether the presence of any living organisms is to be counted as “people” or not.
Reply
Adya Mehra
7/5/2012 12:17:12 am
In my opinion,it does not make a difference if there is anybody present in the forest,but if a tree falls,it will definitely produce a sound.Sound waves require a medium to travel.Irrespective of the presence of people in the forest,air in general will always be present.This air will act as a medium for the sound waves produced when a tree is uprooted to travel,and there will be a sound,although there will be nobody present to hear it.
A sound is the auditory effect produced by a given noise - i.e., what you hear. When a tree falls in the forest, it makes no sound unless someone hears it. Without a brain, sound does not exist. A falling tree merely makes molecules of air vibrate, compressing them and rarefying them into waves of changing air pressure. In humans and animals, the auditory task is to convert the physical properties of sound-wave energy into electrochemical neural activity that travels to the brain, which we then perceive as sound. The waves themselves make no sounds.
Therefore, the sounds that we hear are but a product of the brain, which could not exist without a human or animal present to hear it.
Reply
Sam Potter
7/10/2012 07:36:06 pm
Yes, due to the tree creating vibrations when it fall. We know this due to if tested it is a constant that the vibrations are created by the tree falling and that vibration create sound. This means even if no one is in the forest the sound is still created
Reply
Jacob Bilner
7/10/2012 07:38:52 pm
It will most certainly make a sound, there is just nothing to recognise the fact of what has happened.
Reply
Rocket Rickerby
7/10/2012 07:47:21 pm
If a tree fell on another planet similar to our planet and it's inhabitants could hear it would a sound be produced? We cannot hear it through the vacuum of space and since the definition of people presently only includes humans a sound is not produced if people are required to hear it. This would be quite a disadvantage for the inhabitants as we have decided they cannot hear anything, this may mean they would not be able to evolve to a level of intelligence where we could communicate. The other argument is that a sound is made when there are no humans, this means an intelligant race can evolve. When we find them our answer will be yes, if we prove there is no inteligent life out there our answer will be no.
Or we need to change the definition of people
Reply
On the case>>
7/11/2012 12:23:07 am
As a tree in a forest falls, it makes a perfect noise. Prior to tree’s fall the forest is at a symphony of sound i.e. the stream, the gentle breeze and the wild life all make a sound system by repeatedly disturbing air particles in an orderly fashion i.e. creating smooth wave peaks (crests and troughs) at a set frequency and amplitude. Now as the tree falls it arbitrarily disturbs air particles creating distorted peaks. These distorted wave peaks are added into smooth sound waves of the forest and hence make a perfect sound of noise.
Educational portal for students, student can easily find the best colleges or institutes for admission ...
www.shikshadirectory.com
Reply
Jack
10/24/2012 12:46:13 am
We wont know because no one is there to hear it but the sound waves would still travell.
Reply
brandon tippet
10/24/2012 12:46:56 am
i think that if a tree falls in the woods then it dose make a sound. as it would not affect the sound if we are there or not. the sound will still travet through the forrest.
Reply
oliver williams
10/24/2012 12:54:04 am
Ii think that if a tree falls in the woods then it does make a sound, as it would not affect the sound if we are there or not. The sound will still travel through the forest.
Corrected by Oliver williams
Reply
MR. B
10/24/2012 12:51:59 am
I believe that it would still make a sound, even if there was nobody to hear it. quite frankly the only way it would not make a sound is if it was located in space. NO BRAINER! and thats from a scientist.
Reply
oliver williams
10/24/2012 12:52:12 am
It has not been proven. therefore it does not make a sound, or make one. in my opinion it would make a noise, cause every other tree that has fallen made a noise.
Reply
Ben Hughes
10/24/2012 12:54:29 am
It does make a sound. If it falls then it creates a sound-wave, it doesn't matter if we're there to hear it.
Reply
Matt
10/24/2012 12:55:11 am
Definition of sound:
A distinctive noise
The distance within which it can be heard
This suggests that it cannot be classed as a sound.
However, my opinion is that it does make a sound; just because someone isn't there to hear it; it doesn't mean that no sound is made.
When the tree falls sound waves are created. If someone was there, it would be classed as a sound, but just because someone isn't there, it does not mean that it doesn't make a sound.
There can be huge contradicting sides to this arguement and my own opinion is that it does make a sound.
Reply
Cameron Reed
10/24/2012 12:55:36 am
Of course. If there were some people who wished to research this (rather pointlessly, in my opinion), they could set up a microphone in the woods and wait for a tree to fall.
Reply
Jordan Millett
10/24/2012 12:55:45 am
Of course, sound is not dependent on whether there is human presence. Sound occurs whether humans are there or not, therefore the tree falling would create sound but it would not be powerful enough for anybody outside of the trees vicinity to hear it.
Reply
Alex
10/24/2012 12:56:20 am
The definition of sound is something that can be heard so if the tree is not heard falling it does not make a sound
Reply
Nathan Sayer
10/24/2012 12:57:00 am
Yes, it can be heard, put down a recording device and link it up to a lab miles away, it will record what happens aswell as the sound.
Reply
.
10/24/2012 12:57:40 am
The tree would still make a sound because sound waves are created even though there are no-one there. The vibrations would still get to you but they would be faint.
Reply
...
10/24/2012 12:58:37 am
I think the sound waves would still be there even if no one is there to hear it, although we don't know that for sure, if you used technology to view/record it you would find out.
Reply
Daniel Harris
10/24/2012 12:59:19 am
I think that if a tree falls in a forest, it will still cause vibrations and therefore create sound. The fact that there is no people nearby does not affect the science of sound. Also, there are no animals nearby recently fallen trees, which means that they would have heard something loud and got scared (source: Ben Bryant).
Reply
Oliver Spiers
10/24/2012 01:08:14 am
If a tree falls then it will make a sound but we will only hear it if we were there.
Reply
Aaron
10/24/2012 01:09:00 am
Science is able to answer whether a tree falling in a forest with no people around, is going to create sound waves. the sound waves will start off large, then some of the sound maybe absorbed by trees as it travels, theres no dought some humans may be able to hear an extrememly vague sound.
Reply
Nyles Hollister
10/24/2012 01:09:10 am
Yes of course it would, just because there is no one around to hear the sound waves doesnt mean there are no sound waves created. If there were people around the sound of the tree falling would be heard which proves that they do make a sound when they fall so if a tree fell while there were no people around then there would still be a sound created.
Reply
Jake Peters
10/24/2012 01:11:57 am
Most basic answer:
No, because the definition of sound is "something that you hear." No one's there to hear the tree fall, so the tree doesn't make a sound. This answer is valid as long as no details are observed technically.
An answer:
Nobody knows and never will.
A sound does not depend on the perception by a sentient hearer. Examining the question, there are three conditions setting the scenario:
•A tree falls: It is presumed that the tree falls through other trees branches and strikes the ground in a manner that makes satisfying "Thump!" all of which activities generate sound waves and or vibrations. This is technically a sound or colloquially a noise.
•in the woods: This is an ecosystem filled with receptors some definitely sentient (humans) and some of debatable levels of sentience (deer, raccoons etc.) all of which have the capacity of hearing
•and nobody is there to hear it: fully sentient beings, humans, are excluded but animals are not excluded
And the question
•does it still make a sound
The answer is that in physics the creation of sound waves in a medium constitutes making a sound or noise. In the smaller definition that a sound can only be present if it is heard, the question only postulates the absence of sentient (human) receptors. The existence of hearing animals in a forest environment would be anticipated/ Therefore the sound would have been heard and even under the more limited definition (strictly physics) there would have been a sound.
Sound (noise) is mechanical energy. It is physically real. A source of sound can (will) make the sound whether we are there to hear it or not. Or whether we can hear it or not. That's more of a "physics" answer, but it is a "real" as anything you are likely to encounter.
The definition of sound is the periodic compression and rarefaction of air. Thus whether a person or animal is around to hear the sound (the experience, sometimes referred to as qualia) or not, does not change the fact that the air is still moved in this way, and a sound is produced.
Reply
Akhil Vohra
10/30/2012 12:12:24 am
We can quite easily determine that due to the vibration of the molecules present in the air while the tree is descending and also the vibration of the molecules when the tree strikes the ground,that sound IS produced. The forest is an ecosystem in itself,inhabiting millions of organisms. If a tree falls in a forest,many organisms are bound to hear the sound produced by it. Just because there are no humans around to acknowledge the production of that sound,does not mean we disregard the sound produced by the tree entirely. So in my opinion,physically,it quite obviously makes a sound. And if not us humans,then many other organisms WOULD hear it.
Reply
navya
10/30/2012 12:13:53 am
in my veiw,
if one tree falls, it will obviosly lead to a chain reaction in a forest.
as a result it will make quite alot of noise
Reply
jasmohan kahlon
10/30/2012 01:39:23 am
of course it'l make a sound! ..it will surely make a sound irrelevant if a person hears it or not it it will for sure!
If a tree falls sound will not be heard as even if a tree falls a living organism must be present to hear the sound. If no living entity is present in the area the sound of the falling tree or the leaves being crushed (as a result) will not be heard even though the vibrations of sound will be created. A technical person might oppose this but if my opinion is taken into account there will be no sound.
Reply
anon
3/30/2016 10:46:29 am
If a deaf man screams in a forest, and nobody is around to hear him, does he make a sound?
RSS Feed