Heat is not a state function; it depends on the path taken during a process.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: Which of the following is not a state function?
Solution: Heat is not a state function; it depends on the path taken during a process.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what a state function is. A state function is a property that depends only on the current state of a system, not on how it got there.
Step 2: Examples of state functions include temperature, pressure, and volume. These values depend only on the current state of the system.
Step 3: Now, consider heat. Heat is the energy transferred between systems due to a temperature difference.
Step 4: Realize that heat depends on the specific process or path taken to transfer energy, not just the initial and final states.
Step 5: Therefore, since heat depends on the path taken, it is not a state function.