Chemistry - What are examples for state functions?
Solution 1:
Let's say you go to Stonehenge.
You see a big rock there.
You can observe the state of the rock.
But how much work was done to bring the rock there?
How far away did the rock come from? Was it a downhill or uphill journey? Was the stone dragged, moved with wheels, or pulled on a sled over snow?
So you can know the exact state of the rock, but not how much work was done to bring it to that state.
Therefore work is not a state function. The others given in the exercise, i.e. internal energy, pressure, volume, temperature are all state functions.
Solution 2:
Examples of state function include (1) internal energy, (3) volume, and (4) pressure.
This is because a state function is a value in which is dependent on the state of that particular system. The value of a change in a state function is always the difference between the final and initial values. It is important to note that the value depends only on the state of the system, not on how the system arrived at that state.