Hey future physicist! 🌟 Let's dive deep into the captivating world of nuclear fission and discover what powers our nuclear reactors! 🔥

• Imagine splitting a gigantic nucleus into two smaller ones. That's nuclear fission! 🍕
• Two common nuclear fuels: Uranium-235 (natural superstar) and Plutonium-239 (the synth-made star).
• Fun fact: Plutonium traces found in Earth's crust are thanks to cosmic rays or Uranium-235 decay. Cosmic rays – not just for comic books! 💫

• An innocent neutron pops by and gets absorbed by our uranium friend: \(^{235}_{92}U + ^{1}_{0} n → ^{236}_{92} U^∗ \)
• That asterisk? Means Mr. U-236 is feeling a tad unstable.
• Now, in 82% cases, U-236 breaks apart, creating two almost twin fragments and some speedy neutrons. In the rest 18%, it just emits gamma rays and chills for 23 million years.

Real-world Example 🌍: Think of a chocolate bar. Most times you break it evenly (82%). But sometimes, a piece just melts (18%)!

• There's no fixed outcome. Like cooking – sometimes you get spaghetti, sometimes risotto.
• A popular result: \(^{236}_{92}U^∗ → ^{144}_{56} Ba + ^{90}_{36} Kr + 2^{1}_{0}n + ΔE \)
• ΔE is the energy popping out.
• You calculate ΔE using: ΔE = c²Δm (thanks, Einstein!)
• Barium-Krypton combo is the "pepperoni pizza" of U-235 fission - it's quite common.

Real-world Example 🌍: It's like mixing paint. Blue + Yellow can give Green. But sometimes, depending on the shades, you might get Teal or even Turquoise.