double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) on the basis of, amongst other theoretical insights, X-ray diffraction experiments conducted by Rosalind Franklin. They both credited Schrödinger's book with presenting an early theoretical description of how the storage of genetic information would work, and each independently acknowledged the book as a source of inspiration. Learning the lesson about the importance of intuition for the interdisciplinary research fields provided by the greatest minds of the XX century, we undertake the modest attempt to bridge together the knowledge about standing waves of electron density that are known to occur in bulk or near the surface of a metal or graphene, even the abstract models like Kronig-Penney crystal or Jellium model due to the scattering of electrons by impurities, defects, or the surface itself but are also observed in molecules featuring delocalized electron density (e.g., polyynes). In solid-state physics, this phenomenon is known under the name of Friedel oscillations (FOs), named after Jacques Friedel, who first predicted and described it in 1958 . This review aims to (i) systematize research on FOs, especially in the field of solid-state physics, and (ii) provide a bridge between physical and chemical concepts related to charge oscillations and prove the importance of FOs for surface science.