ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Activation product

Okay kiddo, so imagine you have a toy box full of toys. But some of these toys need something special before you can play with them. Let's say you have a toy car that needs a key to make it go vroom vroom.

In the world of science, some things are like that toy car. They need something special to make them work. One of these things is called an activation product. An activation product is something that becomes radioactive when it's struck by a neutron.

Now, you might be wondering - what's a neutron? Well, a neutron is a tiny little thing that makes up the insides of an atom. When it hits an activation product, it causes some changes to happen inside the product. These changes make the product radioactive, which means it can give off energy and particles that can be used for lots of different things.

Scientists use activation products in all sorts of ways. They can be used to power things like nuclear reactors, or to make medicines that can help us when we're sick. They can even help us learn more about the world around us by letting us see how things behave when they're hit with different particles.

So, to sum it up - an activation product is something that becomes radioactive when it's hit by a neutron. It's like that toy car that needs a special key to make it go vroom vroom. And just like a toy car can be used to have fun and go on adventures, activation products can be used to do all sorts of amazing things in science!