State functions, also called "state variables",thermodynamic variables, state quantities, or functions of state, describe the momentary condition of a thermodynamic system. For a passage from one given thermodynamic state to another, whatever may be the intermediate conditions between the initial and final thermodynamic states, the total change in the value of any thermodynamic state variable will be the same. For a continuous process, this means that incremental changes in such variables are exact differentials, fully determined by their initial and final thermodynamic states.
Examples include entropy, pressure, temperature, volume, etc.
Various thermodynamic diagrams have been developed to model the transitions between thermodynamic states.
Read more about this topic: Thermodynamic State
Famous quotes containing the words state and/or functions:
“My generation, dear Ron, swore on the Altar of God that whoever proclaims the intent of destroying the Jewish state or the Jewish people, or both, seals his fate.”
—Menachem Begin (1913–1992)
“Adolescents, for all their self-involvement, are emerging from the self-centeredness of childhood. Their perception of other people has more depth. They are better equipped at appreciating others’ reasons for action, or the basis of others’ emotions. But this maturity functions in a piecemeal fashion. They show more understanding of their friends, but not of their teachers.”
—Terri Apter (20th century)