Science Assessment ~ Items ~ EG049003

Object 1 and Object 2 are both made up of the same type of molecule and the same number of molecules. Object 1 has more thermal energy than Object 2. Is the average speed of the molecules of Object 1 more than, less than, or the same as the average speed of the molecules of Object 2?

The average speed of the molecules of Object 1 is more than the average speed of the molecules of Object 2.
The average speed of the molecules of Object 1 is less than the average speed of the molecules of Object 2.
The average speed of the molecules of Object 1 is the same as the average speed of the molecules of Object 2.
More information is needed to say anything about the average speed of the molecules.

Details
Performance
NGSS

Topic
Correct Answer: A
Misconceptions

Distribution of Responses

Chart showing distrubtion of responses for Item 049003

Scale Score for Item Difficulty (200[Easy]-800[Difficult]): 488

Students Responding Correctly

Group	Correct	Total	Percent
Overall	580	1145	51%
Grades
4–5	N/A	N/A	N/A
6–8	272	591	46%
9–12	308	554	56%
Gender
Male	278	576	48%
Female	286	542	53%
Primary Language
English	508	1006	50%
Other	55	109	50%

View data table

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: Thermal energy is the random motion of particles (whether vibrations in solid matter or molecules or free motion in a gas)...

Science Assessment

Item EG049003: For two objects that are made up of the same type of molecule and the same number of molecules, the molecules of the object with more thermal energy have the greater average speed.