Moonie posted:El Loro posted:Moonie, you make very good and valid points re the sound question
Sound consists of sound waves. In a vacuum, the waves have nothing to go through which is why no sound can be heard. But with the sound proofed wall the sound waves hit the wall but bounce off so we don't get to hear them.
But to hear a sound there has to be a listener. If there's no listener, there are no eardrums to respond to the sound waves, and the eardrums vibrating is what we sense as sound. So some would argue that there is no sound without a listener.
Agreed but in your example....
"My example above also raises a question. If the apple had fallen, as the wall is soundproof, did the apple make a sound?"
You didn't ask if the sound could be heard but if it make a sound...
Pedantic or what?
It's not pedantic as the question raises the philosophical question as to if a sound can't be heard did the sound exist? That's more of a metaphysical question rather than a straight scientific question.