✨ Fun Fact: Fission is like a chocolate bar. Sometimes it breaks on its own (spontaneously), and sometimes you snap it in half (induced) to enjoy with a friend. Both ways, there's energy released!

• It's the big break-up of a heavy atomic nucleus into smaller ones.
• Happens when you have a super heavy element (like the strong man of the atomic world) with a nucleon number greater than 230.

Spontaneous Fission

• Like when you spontaneously decide to dance in your room. This type of fission happens all on its own!

• 📖 Definition: A rare type of radioactive decay where the big nucleus just breaks into smaller ones and releases extra particles.

• These extra party crashers are usually neutrons.

• Result: The smaller nuclei have a better proton:neutron ratio—making them feel a bit more "stable" (though not perfectly).

Real-World Example

• Seen in natural elements like Thorium-232, Uranium-235, and Uranium-238.
• More common in lab-made elements in the actinide and transactinide families of the Periodic Table (the heavyweights!).
• Fun comparison: Imagine Thorium and Uranium more likely to sing (alpha emission) than dance (fission) on their own. But evidence shows they have occasionally danced throughout Earth's history.
• Quick time check: Alpha singing happens every 700 million years, while the spontaneous fission dance is a rare event every 11 billion years.

Neutron-induced Fission

• This is like a nudge from a friend making you slide on a dance floor.

• 📖 Definition: A neutron from outside crashes the nucleus party, making the nucleus unstable and leading to a fission.

Real-World Example

• This is the star of the show in nuclear engineering.
• It's like starting a fire. An initial neutron is the spark, and the emission of more neutrons keeps the fire going. This creates a chain reaction, which is the basis of nuclear power plants.
• Important: This isn't a normal radioactive decay. It's like a special invite-only party and is more of a "nuclear reaction."