Heat as path function

[Isabelle Fontanilla 1I]

Why is heat, like work, not a state function?

[Nahelly Alfaro-2C]

State property is not dependent on a path is taken to obtain that state. This means that the state property can either be added or subtracted. In this case, heat cannot be considered a state function because heat and work depend on a path to reach work and heat.

[404975170]

q is not a state function because the energy transferred depends on the path chosen

[Margaret Akey]

You can think about heat in the same way that you can think about how much energy you have to use while say, climbing a mountain. When climbing a mountain if you zig zag back and forth go back up and down the middle part of the mountain and waste a ton of energy, by the time you get to the top you will have used a ton of energy.. Heat works the same. You would use less energy going up the mountain on the shortest path. If you think about it if you heat and then cool and then heat and then cool water but do this until it is boiling, you would use much less heat if you didnt waste the heat while it was cooling, but technically both ways you would go from water to steam.