this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2023
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What is sound if not vibrations in the air?
It's an ontological argument. OP is creating a categorical distinction where "sound" is the cognitive process by which pressure waves are perceived, eg as information. I think it's a fairly common distinction to make, but it is also kind of unsatisfying is the sense that it feels a bit like linguistic nihilism.
i had a sudden vision of winning fediverse bingo with this entry being called
We're on social media, linguistic nihilism is the free square.
Is tinnitus a sound?
Is bone conduction sound?
Are the signals a cochlear implant produce sound?
Sound is a perception. Sound waves are what can generate that perception. But sound doesn't always require soundwaves, so there is a difference.
It's very much a "dancing on the head of a pin" distinction, but the baseline joke also requires it.
Yes, those all are sounds.
From Wikipedia:
Should have been more distinct. Sounds are just vibration, they don't need to go through air.
But neither tinnitus or cochlear implants have any vibration associated. If they are sounds then sounds are more than just vibrations. At the same time, not all vibrations are sounds.
The argument is that sound is part of our internal processing of sensations. If there is no brain to perceive it, is it a sound, or just a vibration in the air?
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
The brains interpretation of the pressure waves beating against the eardrum.