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Reference.org
State variable
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<p>A state variable is one of the set of <a href="/facts/Variable_(mathematics)/VbQlrvKz">variables</a> that are used to describe the mathematical "state" of a <a href="/facts/Dynamical_system/782gREl5">dynamical system</a>. Intuitively, the state of a system describes enough about the system to determine its future behaviour in the absence of any external forces affecting the system. Models that consist of coupled first-order <a href="/facts/Differential_equation/9MGbE3Ca">differential equations</a> are said to be in state-variable form. </p>