Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-quantum-condensed-matter-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/section-a/a1/b/solution
Past exam of the quantum condensed matter course of the University of Cambridge 2009 Section A A1 b Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-10-20
For a spherical micelle with tails, core radius , molecular tail volume and head-group area , volume and surface counting give and . Consequently . A tail cannot span a core radius larger than its maximum length , so the amphiphile packing parameter condition isThis is a minimum area, not a maximum. The printed request reverses the geometric inequality. The limiting value corresponds to fully extended tails with ; larger head groups permit smaller spherical aggregates in this simple packing argument. The supplied data alone impose no finite maximum head-group area, and geometry alone does not guarantee thermodynamic micelle formation.
New to topics? Read the docs here!