State Functions: Summary
The answers to the ConcepTests are given below and will open in a separate window.
Key points from this module:
- State function changes are independent of path.
- Temperature, pressure, volume, enthalpy, internal energy, entropy, Gibbs free energy, Helmholtz free energy are examples of thermodynamic state functions.
- Heat and work are not state functions; they do depend on the process pathway.
From studying this module, you should now be able to:
- Use state functions to solve energy balances.
- Use the concept of state functions to calculate changes in state parameters.
Prepared by John L. Falconer, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder