Original Project
Force and Motion
Item FM094002: If an object is slowing down, a force that is causing it to slow down must be greater than the sum of the forces that are pulling or pushing the object forward.
Which of the following statements is TRUE if a moving object is slowing down?
- A force within the object must be decreasing.
- A force that is pulling or pushing the object forward must be decreasing.
- A force that is causing the object to slow down must be increasing.
- A force that is causing the object to slow down must be greater than the sum of the forces that are pulling or pushing the object forward.
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1433 | 3521 | 41% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 794 | 2231 | 36% |
| 9–12 | 631 | 1280 | 49% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 713 | 1677 | 43% |
| Female | 691 | 1772 | 39% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 1296 | 3173 | 41% |
| Other | 104 | 278 | 37% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- PS2.A The motion of an object is determined by the sum of the forces acting on it; if the total force on the object is not zero, its motion will change. The greater the mass of the object, the greater the force needed to achieve the same change in motion. For any given object, a larger force causes a larger change in motion.
PS2.A Newton's second law accurately predicts changes in the motion of macroscopic objects.