If a tree falls and no one is around...will it make a sound when it hits the ground?
956289
Yeah, it will produce a compression wave in the air - which is the definition of sound.  It doesnt matter if someone is there to hear it or not.  A sound is still made.
344331
Yes, it makes a sound....but no one is around to hear the sound being made.
413598
blackpowder or gunpowder exploding makes the cracle sound. they just put it in smaller sections so it wont be as loud
435287
There is thunder, you just are too far away to hear it. Now here's one for you; if a tree falls in the forest....
9323
Sound is actually just vibrations in atoms and molecules. Our ears are able to decipher these vibrations into sound, if the vibrations are strong and close enough. The laws of the earth are forever constant, so if a tree falls, whether someone is close enough or not, it will cause vibrations in the air and on ground nonetheless. Animals will hear it. There is no sound in space
1698
If it falls down from the top of the cliff to the ground 200 meters below, it'll hit the ground in 6.413696282 seconds if it doesn't strike any object on the way down.  If all it did was to trip and hit the ground still on top of the cliff and took 20 seconds to do so, it probably struggled to remain up (on either 2 or 4 paws) and probably will remain its original color.\n\nHowever, since the bear spent 20 seconds falling a distance that should have taken it < 7 seconds, then it probably fought its way down, bouncing from boulder to boulder, treee to tree, as it fell.  Therefore I expect the bear to be colored some brown (from dirt), some green (from brush), and some red (from torn skin & fur).
847790
use one of those canned air boat horns- they should hear it then\n\nhave you tried unplugging your phone (if its a land line)
306289
It still sends sound waves through the air, yes.  It does not, however, make noise.  Because noise is defined as something we hear, and obviously no one can hear it.  I know, I have a lot of time on my hands to come up with answers.
630903
Yes they do but just like the tree that fell in the forest, you probably won't hear it unless you were near it.  Most quakes are not even noticed by humans because they are to deep in the ground, too far away, or the soil between you and the quake may absorb the sound and motion.  If you were near the quake, such as where a road is being ripped apart, you would not only hear it but would see it too.  You can bet one thing, if you hear the rumbling of an earthquake, you are much to close and need to get out of any building you may be in.
194772
It dies.\n\nThe outer layers of bark - and just under that - are the vascular like systems that transport water and nutrients to the leaves - just like your veins. Now, imagine someone cuts all your veins and arteries up - you bleed to death. Even if the tree does not appear to "bleed" ringbarking can still kill if it stops the flow of water/nutrients from the roots and leaves and back again. \n\n... or something. Try wikipedia.
233367
Not a chance.  Well, there is a chance, but it would involve completely wiping humans off the face of the earth.  And that begs the question, if a tree falls in the forest but no one is around to see it, does it make a sound?  So we're back to - not a chance.\n\nI'm afraid the concept is nothing more than a Miss America platform.
52736
This is essentially a question of definitions, i.e. how you define sound or noise. \n\nHere are the two basic answers. \n\nYes \n\nA noise is a sound and a sound is a set of vibrating molecules referred to as sound waves. If a tree falls in the forest and makes a sound, it makes molecular vibrations, or sound waves, whether any human ear drum is around to sense them or not. So yes, it makes a noise. A person hearing it is irrelevant to the being of the sound. A person hearing it is only relevant to human consciousness of the sound. \n\nAnother argument for this viewpoint is based on theology. God observes the entire universe. \n\nNo \n\nIf a tree falls, and no one is around to hear it, it does not make a noise by definition. What is noise? What is sound? One must make sure to look at this question not from such a skewed view point to realize that he or she is being misled. From an early stage in our lives, through modern science, it is FACT that sound waves are processed in our brains, thus if we are not near the sound it is just an assumption that it does make a noise. \n\nSound travels through our ears, into the canal, and into the brain to allow for it to be processed by the brain, allowing for us to differentiate due to experiences that yes, it is that particular noise. However, one would not know the sound to be that way if they cannot imagine the situation. Thus, a human being or another entity must be present to absorb the vibrations, waves, etc in order to process the information. \n\nSome take this further and claim that the whole universe does not really exist until it is observed.
1325
The answer to this depends on if you are a physicist or a biologist! A physicist would say "yes" because to him/her sound is vibration of air molecules which will occur when a tree falls. \n\nA biologist, however would say "no" because sound is a perception in the brains of living things capable of perceiving it. The perception is a brain's interpretation of the nerve signals sent to it as a result of vibrations causing the eardrum to vibrate, then the ossicles in the middle ear, then the fluid in the cochlea, then the hair cells etc. There is no sound until a brain perceives it, only vibrating air.\n\nEven if the vibrations are recorded, there is still no sound until the recording is played and heard/interpreted by a capable brain.
1015439
Actually, no it doesn't. The sound you hear is actually vibrations in your ear that your brain converts to noise. So if there are no living creatures with ears and brains around to 'hear' it, it does not make a noise...just some air vibrations going all over the place.
292506
Yes! You MUST be grounded to be struck...lol or harmed by lightning. This is because if you are not grounded there is nowhere for the electrical current to move to.\n\n ... think of it as a battery. It has to have both of those metal clasps touching on the top AND the bottom for it to work. If the battery is only touching one metal clasp the battery does not work.\n\n EXCEPTION: If u ly down on the ground u have a good chance of not being hit
42894
The point of the riddle is that perception controls reality, because nothing is assured until we perceive it. It should be modified to say, "If a tree falls in the forest and there are no people or recording devices present, can you have any clue as to the sound it made?" It is an answerless riddle by definition.
1995
If a tree falls in the woods, and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a noise?\n\nIt doesn't matter.\n\nTHAT is existential reality.