In thermodynamics, heat and work are : (1) Extensive thermodynamic state variables (2) Point functions (3) Path functions
In thermodynamics, heat and work are :
In thermodynamics, heat and work are :
Best answer
The correct answer is option 3) path function
Answer: (3) Path functions
Heat (Q) and work (W) are energy in transit. Their values depend on how a system goes from one state to another (the path), not only on the initial and final states. For example, the work done by a gas between the same two states is different for an isothermal and an adiabatic path (it is the area under the P–V curve).
Quantities like internal energy U, pressure, volume and temperature depend only on the state, so they are state (point) functions. Heat and work are therefore path functions, not state variables.
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