Wave-particle duality: A clarification

This paper aims to clarify the longstanding confusion between waves and particles and to examine whether the particle interpretation is fundamentally necessary in quantum mechanics.

Wave-particle duality remains one of the central unresolved questions of quantum mechanics. This paper examines whether the particle interpretation is fundamentally necessary and argues that wave phenomena alone may explain observations traditionally attributed to particles, including interference, superposition, and the photoelectric effect. It proposes that quantum entities are fundamentally wave-like and that the particle concept is an effective description of their interaction with measuring devices.

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