Why Are Certain Physics Concepts So Challenging to Understand?

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Certain physics concepts, such as standing waves, can be challenging to grasp due to their abstract nature. The discussion highlights how frequency creates standing waves on surfaces, causing materials like rice to bounce erratically unless they settle on non-vibrating points. There is also a mention of the audio aspect, suggesting that the perceived sound may be a simplified version of a more complex signal, particularly in low frequencies. The conversation draws parallels to similar experiments with corn-starch and grains of sand, emphasizing the intriguing behaviors observed in these demonstrations. Understanding these phenomena requires a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical observation.
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why does something like this happen?



I have some physics knowledge, but I am not that advanced...
 
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That's a very neat video. Here's what I think is happening:

It has nothing to do with the rice. Basically the frequency is creating a standing wave on the 2-d surface which has nodes in the shape given so the rice will bounce around erratically unless it settles on a point on the surface that isn't vibrating and then it'll just stay there. The one thing that confuses me is that the sound you hear in the video seems to be only one pitch and far too high. I'd think there's actually a lot more complicated signal going on in the low frequencies (below human hearing) to create this effect.
 
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I agree with Starstrider. We did this with grains of sand on an aluminum plate in freshman physics.
 
So I know that electrons are fundamental, there's no 'material' that makes them up, it's like talking about a colour itself rather than a car or a flower. Now protons and neutrons and quarks and whatever other stuff is there fundamentally, I want someone to kind of teach me these, I have a lot of questions that books might not give the answer in the way I understand. Thanks

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