  We study whether fine discretization (i.e., terracing) of continuous pair
interactions, when used in combination with first-order mean-spherical
approximation theory, can lead to a simple and general analytical strategy for
predicting the equilibrium structure and thermodynamics of complex fluids.
Specifically, we implement a version of this approach to predict how screened
electrostatic repulsions, solute-mediated depletion attractions, or ramp-shaped
repulsions modify the radial distribution function and the potential energy of
reference hard-sphere fluids, and we compare the predictions to exact results
from molecular simulations.
