thats a dumb question. of course there will be.

We are so very accustomed to believing everything science tells us is true, but all they are able to observe is their own reality which they are manifesting, and they won't be able to go further than that until they allow true Metaphysics into the mix.

This is kinda like Schrodinger's Cat. But if you didn't hear the tree fall, then how did you know it fell at all. If you knew it fell, then you could conclude yes it made sound. If you didn't hear/see/sense the tree fall, then the tree didn't fall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger's_cat

This sounds like a good question for Dr. Robert Lanza.

Biocentric Proposal

He would probably answer by saying something like: "Reality only exists in the mind of the observer."

"If a tree falls" implies a hypothetical situation. We have no proof that the tree actually fell unless we are there to observe it. Therefore, we have no proof that a sound was actually made. Hypothetically speaking, all falling trees make noise. Relatively speaking, no falling tree makes a sound where no one exists. You're mixing apples with oranges. The question is flawed.

if e tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?

does it matter?

this is one of the most ignorant comments i've ever heard, of course it matters. everything matters. you should try to understand everything around you even if it can't seem to be explained. you are a human, you are the only creature alive in this planet that can understand what's going on around you so start acting like it(i sound like an old grumpy guy but that's how i understand it). everything matters.

Oh the irony.

'if a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?'. Well, it would certainly create sound waves which are experienced as sound if there is a suitable device present for picking them up, whether it is a human ear, a frog, a tape recorder or whatever. Sound waves cause vibration, and I understand that even plants can detect them. If there was absolutely nothing there to detect the sound waves, then I suppose there would be no sound as the sound waves would continue flowing into space forever!

let me give you an example: if i ask you right now, is there an civilization living on the moon and the people living there are purple and have 3 heads? your answer would be no, there isn't such a civilization, it does not exist. and then next week, a civilization is found on the moon where people heve 3 heads and are purple. that civilization didn't exist last week, but it does now. it didn't exist to us before the discovery, and we were certain that it didn't exist at all. what i'm saying is that if you don't exist to at least someone, no one can say that you exist, so you don't. if the tree falls and i hear it, it exists to me only, if 20 people hear it, it exists to 20 people, but if no one knows of it's existence how can you say it exists, if it doesn't exist to anyone, how can you exist if you don't exist to anyone. IT CANNOT BE CALLED SOUND, SOUND NEEDS TO BE HEARD. we should come up with a new word for an "almost sound", something that could be sound if there was anyone there to hear it. and about the tree killing the deaf guy, the sound didn't kill him, the tree was there and it did fall down, but it didn't make a sound, at least not to him, and since he was the only one who the sound could exist to at the moment, it doesn't exist at all. and about the eiffel tower comment, you know of the existence of the tower, if you had never heard about it or seen it, you would've said that it doesn't exist, but there are other people who know of it's existence, therefore it does exist

I think something with alot of weight that falls a certain amount of feet and hits the ground will obviously make a sound, pretty much anthing that falls will make a sound, just no ones around to hear it doesnt mean it doesnt make a sound.
Right now so many things are falling, and they are making a sound we just cant here them, cause we are far away from it

if e tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? i'll say what i think, then if you guys dissagree, please explain your theory. i think that if a tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear it, id does NOT make a sound. sound is defined as vibrations traveling through air, water, or some other medium, especially those within the range of frequencies that can be perceived by the human ear. the simple answer is that sound is something that can be heard. if no one hears it there is no sound. until someone hears them, those vibrations traveling through the air cannot be called sound. so i think that if a tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear it, it emits certain vibration with the potential to become a sound, if there was somebody there to hear it. does anyone have a different point of view?

It's simple actually.

If a guy steals and nobody sees it,
Does it mean he didn't steal?

If a man dies, and nobody knows about it,
Does it mean that he is still alive?

If i don't know who you are,
Does it mean you don't exist?


Things that you don't see, or hear, smell, touch or know about doesn't mean it don't exist.
And BTW, we won't say that the civilisation doesn't exist. We'll just say that there's no proof to it, and by looking at conditions, we would conclude that there are currently no civilisations there.

I think the true question that the person is asking when he or she is asking it, is Does it matter? Does it matter that a tree fell and nobody was there to witness. To the average person (note: AVERAGE) nobody cares about anything unless it affects them directly, people they love, or a person's beliefs.

I'm more interested in the question: "what is the sound of one hand clapping?"

if a tree falls and no one is there to hear it, obviously no one saw it either. if that's the case how can we be sure that that tree even existed. of course there would be something left. so, yes, scientifically it would make a sound or at least a vibration that could be interpreted as a sound.

you missunderstand, i know that the vibrations are there, but as someone mentioned above it comes down to the definition of sound, if something is not heard, it is not sound, it's just all the vibrations. the avalanche is not triggered by sound, it's triggered by vibrations. technically, if no one hears it, it's not a sound.

Again, how can we prove the observable without an observer? It is an act of faith to believe whether the tree makes a sound or not because no one is there to determine whether it is making a sound or not.

Unless you hear it then it isnt a sound. Also if no one is gonna be there to hear it then no one is gonna be there to sense the vibrations.

The question isn't whether it can be proven, but whether the sound exists.

A microphone or video camera can prove the event. The cloud of dust might
be seen for miles. An observer at a distance might not know what the sound
was.

It simply gets back to the definition. Reality is defined by the event and the
description is defined by language.

Yes ofcourse it still makes a sound, there is still a vibration in the air, even though they can't hear it.
Just because their ears can't pick up the vibrations it doesn't mean there is no sound.

The same goes for a tree without any people around it. Even, though there's no-one around to hear it; the sound still exists.

Well how can you be sure? You are not there to see whether it is there or not. There is a probable chance there may be but we cant be certain. Either way, unless there is someone there we will never know for sure.

If a tree falls down and you ARE there to witness it, it makes a sound.. why would it not make a sound if nobody's around.. its still the same process.

And I do wonder what people think about this; If a deaf man is around, does it still make a sound?

Hypothesis: If there is oxygen, the vibrations from the falling tree will inevitably produce a sound, regardless if there is anyone to catch the sound through his/her ears or not.

Fact: Falling objects of the size of a tree produce vibrations when hitting hard ground.
Fact: There is oxygen where there is forest.
Fact: Vibrations that travel through oxygen- induced air transport sound.

Resolve 1: A sound is produced when a tree falls on the ground in a forest.
Resolve 2: A sound can exist per se, regardless of a receptive ear.

Conclusion: If a tree falls in the woods without anyone hearing it, it does produce a sound.

But how can you be sure it is the same process if you are not there to witness it????

Well if he can;t hear it how is he to know whether it makes a sound or not?