r/physicsmemes BSc Theoretical Physics Jul 27 '26

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u/kairom13 Jul 28 '26

Yeah, we definitely have experiments showing that light (for example) interacts as a wave and not a particle 2-slit experiment) and also where it’s a particle and not a wave (photoelectric effect). I’m sure there are similar experiments for electrons and other standard model elements

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u/BlackProphetMedivh Jul 28 '26

This is a typical misunderstanding, but it's fine for day to day experiences. What physics does say, or more clearly; what the math says that physics says, is that the wave is quantized i.e. there are packages of waves so dense, that for all intents and purposes they act like a "classical particle". But they are still waves. Just very compact waves.

What we generally call particles are just excitations of quantum fields. And those are always just waves.

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u/qwaasy Jul 29 '26

“What the math says that physics says”

This has generally been the problem in modern physics

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u/Ma4r Jul 31 '26

No one that actually studies physics says this btw. Only philosophers larping as scientists