Abstract
The application of a Monte Carlo approach for computing the configurational free energy of chains is described. Whereas the effectiveness of the previous Monte Carlo methods is limited to the systems in which the energies of the states (configurations) are not far from zero, the present approach can yield accurate estimates of the free energy of the systems with large configurational energy. Calculations of the free energy as a function of bond flexibility are performed for a chain of twenty bonds confined to a tetrahedral lattice.