# If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it... (Definition of sound)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-tree-falls-in-a-forest-and-no-one-is-around-to-hear-it-definition-of-sound/577184>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 4, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-tree-falls-in-a-forest-and-no-one-is-around-to-hear-it-definition-of-sound/577184 "2011-04-04T20:04:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-tree-falls-in-a-forest-and-no-one-is-around-to-hear-it-definition-of-sound/577184/21 "2011-04-07T07:41:45Z")

</div>

Think of it this way. Since color is to light more or less exactly what sound is to air, if there’s an orange tree in the woods and no one is looking at it, are the oranges still **orange**?

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-tree-falls-in-a-forest-and-no-one-is-around-to-hear-it-definition-of-sound/577184.md?page=1)
