state function
nounUK /steɪt ˈfʌŋkʃən/
US /steɪt ˈfʌŋkʃən/
A state function is a property that depends only on where something is now, not on how it got there.
Temperature is a state function because it only matters what the temperature is now, not how it changed.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. In computer science, a function whose output depends only on its inputs and not on hidden stored data.
A pure state function always returns the same result for the same input.
3. In mathematics, a function that describes the condition of a system at a given moment.
The state function maps each point in the system to a single value.
4. In physics, a quantity like pressure or volume that defines the current condition of a system.
Pressure is a state function used to describe a gas.