Linear function. In mathematics, the term linear function refers to two distinct but related notions: In calculus and related areas, a linear function is a polynomial function of degree zero or one, or is the zero polynomial. In linear algebra and functional analysis, a linear function is a linear map.
A state is defined by multiple characteristics, including a government body and bureaucracy, a concentration of labor and population and a surplus of food. Other characteristics involve social... A state is defined by multiple characteristics, including a government body and bureaucracy, a concentration of labor and population and a surplus of food.
In the USA, state loses its general definition and becomes a partially self-governing piece of a larger, superior whole, the United States of America. Thus, the USA is a state, a nation and/or a nation-state, whereas the state of Massachusetts is simply a dependent political subdivision of the USA. Sorry about the length of this, but if you had wanted a dictionary definition, you'd have checked it out in your Funk and Wagnalls.