ASPECt
Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation
Item EG032003: For two objects that are made out of the same material and are at the same temperature, the object that weighs less has less thermal energy.
Two objects are made of the same material, but Object 1 has less mass than Object 2. If the objects are at the same temperature, which object has less thermal energy and why?
- Object 1 has less thermal energy because it has less mass than Object 2.
- Object 2 has less thermal energy because it has more mass than Object 1.
- Object 1 and Object 2 have the same amount of thermal energy because they are at the same temperature.
- More information is needed to tell which object has less thermal energy.
- Distribution of Responses
- Scale Score for Item Difficulty
(200[Easy]-800[Difficult]) - 520
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 476 | 1549 | 31% |
| Grades | |||
| 4–5 | 111 | 308 | 36% |
| 6–8 | 197 | 650 | 30% |
| 9–12 | 168 | 591 | 28% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 217 | 738 | 29% |
| Female | 249 | 782 | 32% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 407 | 1318 | 31% |
| Other | 57 | 189 | 30% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- PS3.A Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles of matter. The relationship between the temperature and the total energy of a system depends on the types, states, and amounts of matter present.
- NRC Framework
- PS3.A Thermal energy is the random motion of particles (whether vibrations in solid matter or molecules or free motion in a gas)...