Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / iii / Paper 317 / 4 / i

LetA displaced fluid element remains in pressure balance, changes temperature adiabatically, and retains its composition. Comparing its density with the environment after an upward displacement gives the Ledoux criterion for stability,The reverse inequality causes convection. For uniform composition, or if composition is ignored, ${\nabla }_{\mu }=0$ and this reduces to the Schwarzschild criterionfor stability. A molecular weight increasing inward has ${\nabla }_{\mu }>0$ and stabilizes the stratification.