Question
Which one of the following statements is false?
- Work is a state function
- Temperature is a state function
- Work appears at the boundary of the system
- Change in the state is completely defined when the initial and final states are specified
The correct answer is: Work is a state function
State functions depend on a substance's state, such as its amount, type, temperature, or pressure. In actuality, state functions are independent of how the state was created or reached.
State function refers to a set of characteristics that depend only on the initial and final states and not intermediate steps in a reaction or a path. For example, Gibb's free energy.
Heat and work are not functions of the state. Work cannot be the state function because it is proportional to an object's distance moved, determined by the path taken from the initial to the final state. So heat isn't a state function if work isn't.