Seem abstract

Question

HiWhat's the difference between seeming abstract and seeming difficult to understand?Thanks in advance

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

"abstract" applies to the topic.

A lot of the topics in physics are abstract.

abstract: conceptual, theoretical, technical

"difficult to understand" brings in a person. We can talk about things that are difficult for me to understand and things that are difficult for you to understand and things that are difficult for others to understand.

Some of the things we don't understand are abstract, and some are not abstract.
Some of the things we do understand are abstract, and some are not abstract.

If you have studied a lot of physics, maybe you don't think that quantum mechanics, a very abstract topic, is difficult to understand. It may be easy for you. But it is difficult for me to understand.

On the other hand, a washing machine is not at all abstract. It has a lot of parts that fit together in a certain way, and when you plug it in and turn it on, it washes your clothes. Some people find it difficult to understand how a washing machine works even though it is not very abstract. Others do not find it difficult to understand.

So whether something is abstract or not, it may be difficult for some people to understand it but not for others.

Those are two completely separate ideas.

CJ

Seem abstract

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