Recent comments in /f/askscience

UpperCardiologist523 t1_j4sgdet wrote

Does the level of energy the neutron hit with, decide what new atoms and therefore how many neutrons are left over? If not, what does? Or is it random?

Oh, and in your last paragraph. Does this mean that when they enrich uranium/plutonium, reactors are run on lower energy?

Sorry if I'm way off here. I'm a TV repair man, but curious about this.

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rededelk t1_j4scmz4 wrote

Yes I can't explain it but wool is the best. I am fortunate that I don't get "itchy". Wool can keep you warm soaking wet and frozen unlike most synthetics (and wool doesn't get stinky). That said I have plenty of synthetics, it just depends. Hat to wool lined boots most of the time for my local and adventures

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Ok-disaster2022 t1_j4s64pi wrote

If you looked at it on an energy diagram the reaction peak gets broadened, but the area under the peak doesn't significantly change iirc. This is doppler broadening. In certain circumstands doppler broading can allow certain reactions to occur that wouldn't.

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echawkes t1_j4s3z3l wrote

U-235 has 143 neutrons. When you strike it with one more neutron, the total is 144.
Fission usually splits one atom into two atoms, with some left over neutrons. There are a number of different pairs of atoms that are possible outcomes. Sometimes, the pairs of atoms produced add up to 141 neutrons, with three free neutrons left over, and sometimes they add up to 142 neutrons, with only two free neutrons left over.

For low-energy neutrons striking U-235, the chance of fission is about 6 times as high as absorbing the neutron and becoming U-236.

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JCMiller23 t1_j4s2fxf wrote

When adult teeth emerge from your mouth, they do it slowly and considering that you are chewing everyday they get slowly put into place by the teeth you already have. If they were to stand out they would consistently get more pressure on them (by the opposite teeth that hit them when you bite) and that would shape their alignment.

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Wiz_Kalita t1_j4s134f wrote

It's decay because the atom is going from a higher energy state to a lower energy state. It's very much like rolling down a hill except instead of picking up speed it converts potential energy into radiation.

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