The mixing entropy formula derived in the previous problem actually applies to any ideal gas, and to some dense gases, liquids, and solids as well. For the denser systems, we have to assume that the two types of molecules are the same size and that molecules of different types interact with each other in the same way as molecules of the same type (same forces, etc.). Such a system is called an ideal mixture. Explain why, for an ideal mixture, the mixing entropy is given by

ΔSmixing=klnNNA

where Nis the total number of molecules and NAis the number of molecules of type A. Use Stirling's approximation to show that this expression is the same as the result of the previous problem when both Nand NAare large.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The chane in entropy mixing for an ideal mixture isΔSmixingNk[(1x)ln(1x)+xlnx]

Step by step solution

01

Step: 1  Equating entropy:

Let's say we start with a set of Nidentical molecules. This system's entropy is a number S0, which may or may not be straightforward to determine. Assume that we suddenly transform NAof these molecules to a new species at some point in the future (which has similar properties to the original species as mentioned).The amount of different ways we may select to locate these NAmolecules among the Nsites accessible will increase the entropy.

The entropy of mixing is:

ΔSmixing=klnNNA

The Coefficient binomial is

ΔSmixing=klnN!NA!NNA!

where,NA=(1-x)N

ΔSmixing=klnN!((1x)N)!(xN)!

02

Step: 2 Stirling's approximation:

By using Stirling's approximationn!2πnnnen,the factorial is

N!2πNNNeNxN!2πxN(xN)xNexN(1x)N!2π(1x)N((1x)N)(1x)Ne(x1)N

Substitutiong values,we get

ΔSmixingkln2πNNNeN2π(1x)N((1x)N)(1x)Ne(x1)N2πxN(xN)xNexNΔSmixingkln2πNNN2π(1x)N((1x)N)(1x)N2πxN(xN)xNΔSmixingklnNN2πNx(1x)((1x)N)(1x)N(xN)xN

03

Step: 3 Finding entropy mixing value:

Where,ln(ab)=ln(a)+ln(b);lnab=ln(a)ln(b)

we get,

ΔSmixingkNlnN12ln(2πNx(1x))((1x)N)ln((1x)N)xNln(xN)

Taking third term part

((1x)N)ln((1x)N)=((1x)N)(ln(1x)+ln(N))((1x)N)ln((1x)N)=Nln(1x)+xNln(1x)Nln(N)+xNln(N)

Taking fourth term part

xNln(xN)=xNlnxxNlnN

The entropy mixing by

ΔSmixingk12ln(2πNx(1x))(1x)Nln(1x)xNlnxΔSmixingNk[(1x)ln(1x)+xlnx]

The first component in the second line has been omitted since it is insignificant in comparison to the following two terms for bigN.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

For either a monatomic ideal gas or a high-temperature Einstein solid, the entropy is given by times some logarithm. The logarithm is never large, so if all you want is an order-of-magnitude estimate, you can neglect it and just say . That is, the entropy in fundamental units is of the order of the number of particles in the system. This conclusion turns out to be true for most systems (with some important exceptions at low temperatures where the particles are behaving in an orderly way). So just for fun, make a very rough estimate of the entropy of each of the following: this book (a kilogram of carbon compounds); a moose of water ; the sun of ionized hydrogen .

Consider a system of two Einstein solids, \(A\) and \(B\), each containing 10 oscillators, sharing a total of 20 units of energy. Assume that the solids are weakly coupled, and that the total energy is fixed.

(a) How many different macrostates are available to this system?

(b) How many different microstates are available to this system?

(c) Assuming that this system is in thermal equilibrium, what is the probability of finding all the energy in solid \(A\) ?

(d) What is the probability of finding exactly half of the energy in solid \(A\) ?

(e) Under what circumstances would this system exhibit irreversible behavior?

This problem gives an alternative approach to estimating the width of the peak of the multiplicity function for a system of two large Einstein solids.

(a) Consider two identical Einstein solids, each with Noscillators, in thermal contact with each other. Suppose that the total number of energy units in the combined system is exactly 2N. How many different macrostates (that is, possible values for the total energy in the first solid) are there for this combined system?

(b) Use the result of Problem2.18to find an approximate expression for the total number of microstates for the combined system. (Hint: Treat the combined system as a single Einstein solid. Do not throw away factors of "large" numbers, since you will eventually be dividing two "very large" numbers that are nearly equal. Answer: 24N/8πN.)

(c) The most likely macrostate for this system is (of course) the one in which the energy is shared equally between the two solids. Use the result of Problem 2.18to find an approximate expression for the multiplicity of this macrostate. (Answer:24N/(4πN) .)

(d) You can get a rough idea of the "sharpness" of the multiplicity function by comparing your answers to parts (b) and (c). Part (c) tells you the height of the peak, while part (b) tells you the total area under the entire graph. As a very crude approximation, pretend that the peak's shape is rectangular. In this case, how wide would it be? Out of all the macrostates, what fraction have reasonably large probabilities? Evaluate this fraction numerically for the case N=1023.

Suppose you flip 50fair coins.

(a) How many possible outcomes (microstates) are there?

(b) How many ways are there of getting exactly25heads and25tails?

(c) What is the probability of getting exactly 25heads and 25tails?

(d) What is the probability of getting exactly 30heads and 20tails?

(e) What is the probability of getting exactly 40heads and 10 tails?

(f) What is the probability of getting 50heads and no tails?

(g) Plot a graph of the probability of getting n heads, as a function of n.

Use a computer to reproduce the table and graph in Figure2.4: two Einstein solids, each containing three harmonic oscillators, with a total of six units of energy. Then modify the table and graph to show the case where one Einstein solid contains six harmonic oscillators and the other contains four harmonic oscillators (with the total number of energy units still equal to six). Assuming that all microstates are equally likely, what is the most probable macrostate, and what is its probability? What is the least probable macrostate, and what is its probability?

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free