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In some mathematical models, a particle is an excitation of a field, e.g. a mountain is an excitation of a height field. It makes calculations much easier. In those models, waves can be represented in many different ways.

In the real world, a particle can be a lot of different things, but usually we use this word to describe small parts of larger objects. There is no much physical difference between a small grain of sand and a planet, but we use different words for them, while we use the same word for small things, which can be different by many orders of magnitude.

In the real world, a wave, is just a form of group behavior of particles, i.e. many particles are doing the same thing at once because of an interaction between them and some energy in a system. For example, merging of black holes makes waves in a galaxy, so we can watch that in super slow motion.



> In the real world, a particle can be a lot of different things

I thought the idea that a particle is an excitation of a quantum field was broadly accepted.


It's broadly accepted by "shut up and calculate" guys.


Is there an alternative theory that isn’t pseudoscience?


Hopfions are promising. Hopfion model explains how waves can create a particle, so we will have full circle: particles -> waves -> particles -> waves...




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