Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 1 35A b i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
For the one-dimensional freely jointed chain, counting right- and left-pointing links givesThereforeChoosing which links point right gives the state degeneracyPut . Applying the Stirling formula to and discarding terms subleading in yields
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 2 37A a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The extension of the one-dimensional freely jointed chain isAs the integer runs from to , the possible extensions are thereforeFor fixed and , choosing which of the links point in the positive direction determines the microstate. The state degeneracy is consequently the binomial coefficient
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 2 37A c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Several microstates can have the same extension. If denotes their state degeneracy, grouping equal terms in the state sum givesFor the one-dimensional freely jointed chain, a macrostate with positive links and negative links hasHenceThe binomial theorem now gives the fixed-tension partition function of a one-dimensional chain