The State of the art reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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State of the art

For thoughtful child sponsors
The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. The phrase "state of the art" should be hyphenated when it is used as an adjective, e.g.: "This machine is an example of state-of-the-art technology."

See also: The State of the Art a collection of short fiction by Iain M. Banks.