Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-materials-science-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/paper-1/4/a/solution

For distinguishable lattice sites occupied by mutually indistinguishable atoms of each species, the number of configurations is
Using Stirling's approximation,
For one mole, and , so
Equiatomic configurational entropy follows when the composition has , giving
The 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.

New to topics? Read the docs here!