states

Noun

state (countable and uncountable, plural states)

1. A condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time.
   • a state of being
   1. A complete description of a system, consisting of parameters that determine all properties of the system.
      • States in which the energy has definite values are called stationary states of a system; they are described by wave functions Ψₙ which are the eigenfunctions of the Hamiltonian operator, i.e. which satisfy the equation ĤΨₙ = EₙΨₙ, where Eₙ are the eigenvalues of the energy.1977, J. B. Sykes; John Stewart Bell, translating Lev Landau; Evgeny Lifshitz, Course of Theoretical Physics Vol. 3: Quantum Mechanics: Non-relativistic Theory, page 28
   2. (colloquial, singular) A mess; disorder; a bad condition or set of circumstances.
      • absolute state
   3. The stable condition of a processor during a particular clock cycle.
      • In the fetch state, the address of the next instruction is placed on the address bus.
   4. The set of all parameters relevant to a computation.
      • The state here includes a set containing all names seen so far.
   5. The values of all parameters at some point in a computation.
      • A debugger can show the state of a program at any breakpoint.

See all 26 meanings of state