Talk:State function

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Contents 1 Magnetic field 2 Political meaning 3 Poorly defined 4 Page move proposal

[edit] Magnetic field

Is magnetic field also a state function? I feel it should be, but am hesitant to add it since I may be missing some subtlety. Also, the manner in which Markov properties are related to state functions is unclear to me, either from this article or the other. Perhaps this should be clarified or omitted.144.213.253.14 02:21, 31 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Political meaning

I think it's worth adding a disambiguation for non-native speakers of the meaning of the term "state function" in contexts such as "Here is a picture of the Vice-President at a state function." Any ideas where such a disambiguation should point? A {{wiktionary}} link would probably be the best solution, if Wiktionary had an entry for state function. --Quuxplusone 16:06, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Poorly defined

As I find with most things relating to chemistry, this is a poorly defined term and its vaugeness and ambiguity lead to the inherint wishy-washyness of chemistry. I remember finally understanding what a "state function" was, but I've forgotten my revelation. This page should note some functions that *are not* state functions. I really can't think of anything. Perhaps... is work not a state function.. I'm not sure. Does "state function" mean that only the absolute spatial distance matters, or can the "path" something takes go through other parameters (for example, time, or energy)? Is there anyone knowlegable about this that can unambiguously explain "state function" and what functions its different from. Fresheneesz 10:10, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

According to Willard Gibbs, W and Q are not functions of the state of the body, where as V, P, T, U, and S are, but instead are determined by the whole series of states through which the body is supposed to pass. I hope this helps?--Sadi Carnot 02:43, 18 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Page move proposal

My intuition tells me that this page should ideally be moved to Functions of state. From my experience, this is the most commonly used term. Any comments?--Sadi Carnot 02:43, 18 July 2006 (UTC)