What is a state of a system?
Joseph Russell
Updated on April 15, 2026
Keeping this in consideration, what is meant by the state of a system?
3 The Concept of a ``State'' The thermodynamic state of a system is defined by specifying values of a set of measurable properties sufficient to determine all other properties. For fluid systems, typical properties are pressure, volume and temperature.
Similarly, which one following is the state function? Internal energy is a state function as it does not depend upon the path but the initial and final points. Hence, the correct answer to the question is Option B.
Beside above, what is state and path function?
A state function is a property describes a particular state, without depending on the path taken to reach this state. In contrast, functions whose value depends on the path taken to get between two states are called path functions.
Is work a state function?
Heat and work are not state functions. Work can't be a state function because it is proportional to the distance an object is moved, which depends on the path used to go from the initial to the final state. Thermodynamic properties that are not state functions are often described by lowercase letters (q and w).