03-13-2006, 03:23 AM
Pete,Mar 12 2006, 10:30 PM Wrote:The question was, "did it make a noise?" Since noise is simply the vibration of air molecules, the answer is unconditionally, "What a stupid question."
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I was once told by a physics professor that vibrating air molecules cannot be described as "sound" or "noise" until they come into contact with something that can relay an auditory sensation (ie. eardrums or a microphone). The way it was described to me was that a tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it produces vibrating air molecules, but if someone is around to hear it it produces sound.
Way off base or just a matter of semantics?