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Path and state functions
sunshine142
#1 Posted : Sunday, July 13, 2014 4:55:04 PM
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Hello,

Could someone please explain and give examples of path functions and state functions? Thanks!
lauradodge
#2 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2014 2:27:24 PM
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There are tables listing the chemistry versions of state and path functions inside your classroom companion. The best analogy to relate to your own experiences would be how you get to school each day. The distance from your home to school is fixed (if you draw a line from home to school on a map cutting across streets and parks and other buildings) but the route you take each day may change somewhat. If you walk, you might be able to take a short-cut through a walking path, while if you take the bus or drive you are restricted to road ways. The fixed distance from home to school is a state function, it never does change even if you take different pathways to get there. The distance you actually travel will differ based on which way you get to school, so that is a path function.

A path function depends on how you get to a certain outcome, while a state function does not. Most state functions represent "changes" in things, like change in energy, change in temperature etc. Most path functions describe the steps taken to make those changes, for example I could heat a glass of water from 23 to 95 degrees celsius so that the state function, the change in temperature, is 72 degrees celsius. But if I stop half-way and around 55 degrees celsius and pause for ten minutes, then continue to heat to 95 degrees the path I took was different. The path didn't change the difference between the initial and final temperature.

I hope that makes it a bit clearer to you!
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