Sound

[Git]

no-one can hear you scream.

Thats what I say to my dates

[Dejan]

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.

Everything that vibrates the air creates the potential for sound, regardless of what conscious being is there to perceive it in the first place. If there is nobody is there to perceive it occurring, then it could not exist as sound, only vibration.
Sound is a subjective interaction with matter. All that sound is, is vibrations through a medium, without humans to perceive it, those vibrations that we call sound, when the tree fell, would make vibrations, but "sound" as we know it, couldn't exist, since no conscious being was there to interpret those vibrations.

[Inchpräctice]

Is this a question?

[Dejan]

no, an argument to those that say yes

[Est83]

For the sake of argument:

NO

He's not interested unless that tree's atleast 100ft tall and ugly!!!

Answer to the question... of course it bloody does

You can say that we're not able to feel the effects (as in the vibrations in our ears) but we can fill the effects... the butterfly effect!

That vibrations from that falling tree would no doubt have a knock on effect.

[Leody]

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.

Your whole argument is based off an incorrect definition of sound that you made up.

Sound - n : mechanical radiant energy that is transmitted by longitudinal pressure waves in a material medium (as air) and is the objective cause of hearing

So yes, is till makes a sound. Because the tree falling does create sound waves in the air. They do not have to be heard by a person to be classified as sound.

[Est83]

Your whole argument is based off an incorrect definition of sound that you made up.

[Dejan]

So yes, is till makes a sound. Because the tree falling does create sound waves in the air. They do not have to be heard by a person to be classified as sound.

Everything that vibrates the air creates the potential for sound, regardless of what conscious being is there to perceive it in the first place. If there is nobody is there to perceive it occurring, then it could not exist as sound, only vibration.
Sound is a subjective interaction with matter. All that sound is, is vibrations through a medium, without humans to perceive it, those vibrations that we call sound, when the tree fell, would make vibrations, but "sound" as we know it, couldn't exist, since no conscious being was there to interpret those vibrations.

According to Merriam-Webster, sound is the sensation perceived by the sense of hearing. So that means that vibrating air is just that, mechanical vibrations of air molecules. When those vibrations are perceived by the sense of hearing, then they become a sensation; the sensation of sound. That is why we have an auditory cortex in the neocortex of the brain that interprets those vibrations as a tree falling, a bird singing, or the wind whistling through the leaves.
Here is an example: If you never heard a tree fall as it crashed to the ground and you were standing in the woods blindfolded as one fell, you would hear noise. The noise would be the vibrations in the air of the tree hitting the ground. Most likely you would hear something, but you would not know what it was. But, if you had heard enough similar noises before, your brain would then be able to identify the vibrations as being produced by a tree falling. Then it would be a sound.
So, going by the Merriam-Webster definition, the tree would make air molecules vibrate, but would not make a 'sound' if it fell in the woods and nobody was there to hear it.

Actually, there is no good or wrong answer on this question, but its nice to discuss about

edit: The dictionary says that a sound MUST have a receiver... if nothing and no one "heears" it, it isnt a sound... it may make a noise, but it isnt a sound.

[Leody]

So yes, is till makes a sound. Because the tree falling does create sound waves in the air. They do not have to be heard by a person to be classified as sound.

Everything that vibrates the air creates the potential for sound, regardless of what conscious being is there to perceive it in the first place. If there is nobody is there to perceive it occurring, then it could not exist as sound, only vibration.
Sound is a subjective interaction with matter. All that sound is, is vibrations through a medium, without humans to perceive it, those vibrations that we call sound, when the tree fell, would make vibrations, but "sound" as we know it, couldn't exist, since no conscious being was there to interpret those vibrations.

According to Merriam-Webster, sound is the sensation perceived by the sense of hearing. So that means that vibrating air is just that, mechanical vibrations of air molecules. When those vibrations are perceived by the sense of hearing, then they become a sensation; the sensation of sound. That is why we have an auditory cortex in the neocortex of the brain that interprets those vibrations as a tree falling, a bird singing, or the wind whistling through the leaves.
Here is an example: If you never heard a tree fall as it crashed to the ground and you were standing in the woods blindfolded as one fell, you would hear noise. The noise would be the vibrations in the air of the tree hitting the ground. Most likely you would hear something, but you would not know what it was. But, if you had heard enough similar noises before, your brain would then be able to identify the vibrations as being produced by a tree falling. Then it would be a sound.
So, going by the Merriam-Webster definition, the tree would make air molecules vibrate, but would not make a 'sound' if it fell in the woods and nobody was there to hear it.

Actually, there is no good or wrong answer on this question, but its nice to discuss about

The definition I posted above is from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. So... that which you call a vibrating air molecules that create the potential for hearing are by definition sound. Just because they were not heard, does not then classify them as some other thing, they are still sound.

Just because a tree is not seen by a person, does not mean it isn't a tree.

[Dejan]

The definition I posted above is from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. So... that which you call a vibrating air molecules that create the potential for hearing are by definition sound. Just because they were not heard, does not then classify them as some other thing, they are still sound.

Just because a tree is not seen by a person, does not mean it isn't a tree.

No. It does not make a sound. It makes vibration (sound waves), which dont technically make a "sound" unless there is a receptor.

Oxford Dictionary has it as this: vibrations which travel through the air or another medium and are sensed by the ear.

Btw its hard for me to follow because my english is very basic, but ill try mate

[Est83]

What if someone left a camera on record in the forrest?

Then came back to the camera... no-one was there to hear the original vibrations, so it didn't exist by Dejan's reckoning as the sound you hear through the camera is just a recreation of those vibrations. BUT, it's still proff that there was sound.

[Leody]

The definition I posted above is from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. So... that which you call a vibrating air molecules that create the potential for hearing are by definition sound. Just because they were not heard, does not then classify them as some other thing, they are still sound.

Just because a tree is not seen by a person, does not mean it isn't a tree.

No. It does not make a sound. It makes vibration (sound waves), which dont technically make a "sound" unless there is a receptor.

Oxford Dictionary has it as this: vibrations which travel through the air or another medium and are sensed by the ear.

Btw its hard for me to follow because my english is very basic, but ill try mate

No worries mate.

The Oxford Dictionary is stupid!

[Leody]

From the OED.

Pronunciation:/sound, saʊnd/
noun
1 vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person‘s or animal’s ear:
light travels faster than sound

- a group of vibrations of this kind; a thing that can be heard:
she heard the sound of voices in the hall
don't make a sound

- the area or distance within which something can be heard:
we were always within sound of the train whistles

So still, the sound is the vibrations, not the act of hearing. The sound CAN be heard if it reaches a person's ear, but is still a sound even if it doesn't.

[Inchpräctice]

no, an argument to those that say yes

No I was asking whether 'Is this is a question?' is a question.

[Dejan]

As I said before, This doesn't really have a good or wrong answer since the definition of sound is arguable. Some say it MUST be heard, some say the vibrations are already sound and its not necessarily that they are heard.

Edit: I didnt know that the opinions about the definition was so.. different before i started this discussion, I thought it was a fact that sound is only sound when its getting caught by an eardrum or another medium. So I guess you made a point

In my opinion, sound is sound once we experienced it. Yours is that we dont need to experience it. Basically our discussion stops here

What if someone left a camera on record in the forrest?

Then came back to the camera... no-one was there to hear the original vibrations, so it didn't exist by Dejan's reckoning as the sound you hear through the camera is just a recreation of those vibrations. BUT, it's still proff that there was sound.

I would like to try to respond on here, but im not sure. Since i dont know how the recording with a camera works.
Since the Oxford dictonary says the following: vibrations which travel through the air or another medium and are sensed by the ear. Then I assume a camera is 'another medium'. So in your case, yes it would be sound. But, in my opinion it wouldnt be sound if the camera wasnt there. Not sure how the camera works, but I assume it records the sound trough the vibrations from the tree.