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A tree falls in the woods. There's nobody around to hear it. Does it make a sound?
Why?
A tree falls in the woods. There's nobody around to hear it. Does it make a sound?
Why?
It depends as what you define as sound.
Noises are the brains interpretation of an incoming signal, in this case, the vibration of molecules in the air. When the tree falls, the air molecules dovibrate. However, without a brain in order to translate those air vibrations into distinguishable signals, it could be the case that it isn't technically a 'sound'. There are lots of examples of vibrating air molecules that don't make a sound. One potential example is a dog whistle. Does a dog whistle make a sound when blown in a room full of humans?
If you define sound as the vibration of air molecules, then yes it does make a sound.
If you don't define sound as the vibration of air molecules (i.e. it is our brain that interprets an incoming signal as sound), then no it doesn't make a sound.
PLaying devils advocate a bit now, but if you do believe it's option 1, it brings up some interesting hypotheticals.
A tree falls in the woods. There's nobody around to hear it. Does it make a sound?
Why?
If nobody looks at an American flag is it still red, white and blue?
Of course it makes a sound unless you're somehow implying that only YOUR ears/brains count. There are dozens and dozens of ears and brains that will hear it regardless of whether or not YOU hear it, or whether or not a human hears it.
Obviously you were trying to be impressive, but it fails.
Red, white, blue, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Don't humans only see like less than one millionth of 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum? It only looks red, white, and blue to us. So apart from our own perception, what does it really look like?
Likewise, if a tree falls sound waves will be created, but if a human isn't around to hear it, the sound waves won't be perceived as what we consider sound. Our brains are just interpreting the sensory input they receive from our VERY limited sensory organs.
Except in certain fields sound is defined by reception in the brain. The American Heritage dictionary actually defines sound as "Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or a liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing."
Move one hand slowly back and forward in the air in front of you without touching them together. You're making vibrations in the air at a frequency undetectable by our (or likely any creatures) ears. But I think colloquially nobody would consider you as making sound. Why do vibrations at 0.1Hz not count but at 30,000Hz they do. Neither of them are audible to us.
I don't argue that it's receptors in the brain. I argue that you've chosen to be so arrogant as to assume that if you're not there, or a human isn't there, that there are no other ears or brains to hear it.
Animals are not deaf. You might as well say that woods are completely silent unless there is a human being present. What is so special about us?
You are right. The question should be does it make a sound if there is nothing with the sense of hearing around.
It's not arrogance, it's an initial assumption. I never implied that only my ears count. I mean, in my hypothetical I asked about a dog whistle in a room full of humans.... Did I really have to specifically state 'oh btw there are no dogs in the room'? Should I list every other animal that isn't in the room either? Bats, Whales Cats? Are you purposefully being dense?
If you had a tape recorder running and then played it back with a dog in the room then the dog would hear it so the whistle does make a sound, regardless of the audience. This assumes the the recording device can register the higher frequencies.
The only way the tree would not make a sound is if the wood was in a vacuum.
I guess it's kind of semantical but if there are no 'perceivers' is there a sound.
It's the height of semanticism. Of course there is a sound.
In certain fields sound is defined by reception in the brain. The American Heritage dictionary actually defines sound as "Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or a liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing."
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