"Probably" Won't Destroy The World

Mutilated Mind · Sep 30 06 11:51

P.C. wrote:
As I understand it, sound is the result of 'sound waves' vibrating the eardrum. If the eardrums were not present, the waves are without purpose. If you asked a deaf person if they heard the tree fall in the forest, they would say the tree made no sound. He is not lying, nor is he mis-informed. His eardrums are non-functioning. Until that little membrane is present and functioning, there is no sound.
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Yes, that's it. I think that's a very clear and short explanation of what sound basically is.

The whole concept of a sound is based on the perception by human beings of sound waves, i.e. the perception caused by the vibration of their ear drums. So that's the basic definition of sound, based on the original concept. There is a second definition as shown by the Straightdope site, but it's a more recent and a scientific definition as the existence of sound waves has only be known for, what - about 200 years or so ?

Mutilated Mind · Sep 30 06 12:01

Mutilated Mind wrote:
I may sound rude but, kitten, I have know you to willfully troll my threads before.

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I am aware that this is a topic opened by TehBorken.

TehBorken · Sep 30 06 12:41

Mutilated Mind wrote:
but I can only tell you to go play elsewhere.

Well...not to put too fine a point on it, but IMHO he has every right to post here in whatever thread or threads he wants.

I may sound rude but, kitten, I have know you to willfully troll my threads before.

Heaven forbid! I say keelhauling is in order! Now if I could just find a keel to haul him under we'd be all set.

TehBorken · Sep 30 06 12:47

Mutilated Mind wrote:
Yes, that's it. I think that's a very clear and short explanation of what sound basically is.

That's one definition.

The whole concept of a sound is based on the perception by human beings of sound waves, i.e. the perception caused by the vibration of their ear drums.

Nope, that's just one take on it. According to you, sound doesn't exist without someone or something to hear it...which is really kind of silly no matter how you look at it. Next thing we'll be arguing about whether or not the light in the fridge goes out when you close the door.

Frankly, I'd hoped for better, but this is rapidly becoming a bore and is beginning to fit definition #7 below. Nowhere can I find a definition that states there must be an observer for "sound" to exist.

[span class="hw"]sound[/span][span style="color: blue;" class="pointer" onclick="pw = window.DOH!('vny!://content.answers.com/main/content/pronkey-answers.html', 'PronunciationKey', 'height=585,width=520,resizable,scrollbars');if(pw)(pw.focus()

" onmouseout="status='';return true;" onmouseover="status='Click for pronunciation key';return true;"][span class="pron"][/span][/span][span style="cursor: pointer;" onmouseover="status='Click to hear pronunciation';return true;" onmouseout="status='';return true;" onclick="playIt('vny!://content.answers.com/main/content/ahd4/pron/S0576500.wav')"][/span]
n.[ol][li][ol type="a"][li] Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or a liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing.[/li][li] Transmitted vibrations of any frequency.[/li][li] The sensation stimulated in the organs of hearing by such vibrations in the air or other medium.[/li][li] Such sensations considered as a group.[/li][/ol][/li][li] A distinctive noise: a hollow sound.[/li][li] The distance over which something can be heard: within sound of my voice.[/li][li]Linguistics. [ol type="a"][li] An articulation made by the vocal apparatus: a vowel sound.[/li][li] The distinctive character of such an articulation: The words [span style="font-style: normal;"]bear[/span] and [span style="font-style: normal;"]bare[/span] have the same sound.[/li][/ol][/li][li] A mental impression; an implication: didn't like the sound of the invitation.[/li][li] Auditory material that is recorded, as for a movie.[/li][li] Meaningless noise.[/li][li]Music. A distinctive style, as of an orchestra or a singer.[/li][li]Archaic. Rumor; report.[/li][/ol]

P.C. · Sep 30 06 02:29

Well, I didn't look up any actual scientific explanation of sound, but I remember reading an article in OMNI magazine YEARS ago on the very subject.....If a tree falls......................

Sound waves absolutely exsist......but until they bouce off something (our ear drums) they remain merely vibrations. If a person has to be within a certain range to hear a sound, this demonstrates that the eardrums must be present.

A little off subject, but fascinating, is synesthesia. It is an affliction that they call, coloured hearing. There are actually people who see certain colours connected to certain sounds. I think that'd be rather cool.

Mutilated Mind · Sep 30 06 02:44

TehBorken wrote:Next thing we\'ll be arguing about whether or not the light in the fridge goes out when you close the door. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------No arguing here, TehBorken. I fully agree the light doesn\'t actually go out. On the contrary, it stays on and you might never have suspected it if I hadn\'t told you, but a bunch of gnomes come out of all nooks and crannies of your fridges and dance around and thumb their noses and stick out their tongues toward you...You\'d never have thought that, eh ?