What notation is used to indicate silence in music?

In music notation, silence is represented by a rest, which indicates a pause for a specific duration within a piece. Each type of rest corresponds to different note values, such as whole, half, quarter, eighth, and so on, allowing composers to specify exactly how long silence should be observed in a musical context. This is a crucial aspect of rhythm and timing in music, as rests contribute to the overall structure and feel of a piece.

The other options do not represent silence. A dot is typically used to extend the duration of a note, a notehead signifies the presence of a sound or pitch (depending on its type and placement), and bar lines serve to organize music into measures, but they do not indicate silence on their own. Thus, only rests are specifically designed to denote silence in musical notation.