Falling Trees and Forests

     The question has been asked for years, "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?".  In my experience, the most common answer to the question is "of course it does!". I usually answer without hesitation to the contrary. Now before we get into this, I feel compelled to warn you that the question, as innocent as it may seem, is quite loaded. Maybe that is common knowledge, and maybe that is the point. Either way, let's examine the scenario.
     First, to correctly answer the question, we must define "sound". So what is sound? My answer is crudely simplistic, but to the point. Sound is moving air. But for the sake of validation, shall we say, lets see what Miriam Webster says.

a :  a particular auditory impression :  tone

b :  the sensation perceived by the sense of hearing

c :  mechanical radiant energy that is transmitted by longitudinal pressure waves in a material medium (as air) and is the objective cause of hearing

We have two possible definitions here. We have the physical energy, and we have the auditory perception of that energy. 
     The reason I answer "no" to the question in question is because sound is not sound until it is perceived. The tree that falls in the forest most certainly moves air. There is definitely a transmission of mechanical energy radiated outward in the form of longitudinal pressure waves in a fluid medium. But this moving air is not the objective cause of hearing if there is nothing within it's vicinity capable of auditory perception. Until they are perceived, they are merely "sound waves"--moving air.
     So if the question were "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it produce sound waves?", the answer would be yes. But  pressure waves transmitted at various uniform frequencies through a fluid medium are simply that. Moving air. Until that pressure wave is perceived by auditory processors and translated by the Broca's Area of the Cerebral Cortex of a brain into audible sound, it is simply nothing more than a breeze--a light, gentle, natural movement of air of any velocity. 
     At this point you may have made the frustrating discovery that this entire case hinges on how the question is asked. Semantics. For instance, how much of a difference does that indefinite article "a" make in the question (...make a sound...)? But you see, dear reader, I covered this base in a warning in my first paragraph. 
      While I feel that I have thoroughly answered this age old question, I feel that its being an age old question means that it will never be answered. Hopefully this article (if it did not enlighten you) at least entertained you.