Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-materials-science-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/paper-1/4/a/solution
Past exam of the materials science course of the University of Cambridge 2015 Paper 1 4 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
For distinguishable lattice sites occupied by mutually indistinguishable atoms of each species, the number of configurations isUsing Stirling's approximation,For one mole, and , soEquiatomic configurational entropy follows when the composition has , givingThe reference is the unmixed configurational arrangement, and the model assumes random site occupation without short-range order. It counts configurational entropy, not all vibrational, electronic or magnetic entropy. A large number of elements does not by itself guarantee a stable single solid solution: competing thermodynamic phases and the enthalpy term also enter the Gibbs free energy.
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