Is nature made of waves or particles? The annoying answer is neither. The wave model and the particle model are approximations of nature that are each accurate

Is nature made of waves or particles? The annoying answer is neither. The wave model and the particle model are approximations of nature that are each accurate for different conditions. Quantum field theory describes reality with wave functions. In this theory there is a field for each type of fundamental particle spread across all of space and time. Regions of a field can evolve into a localized excited state. Particles are a useful mathematical approximation of these excited states. For example, an electron is a region where the electron field has more amplitude, or bigger ripples. The electron field exists everywhere, but electrons are more likely to be measured where the field amplitude is larger. Fields interact with other fields, and with themselves. These interactions can be approximated with a Feynman diagram, which treats everything as particles. Using Feynman diagrams electron field interactions generally model well as particles. This is because the most complex electron interactions are weak enough to be mathematically canceled out. Quarks, the particles inside protons and neutrons, interact through the "strong force". This force has frequent complex interactions that don't cancel out, making the particle model less useful for calculations.