ASPECt
Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation
Item EG087001: A coconut has the most gravitational potential energy before it falls from a tree because a coconut is at the highest point above the ground before it falls.
A coconut falls from a palm tree and lands on the ground.
When does the coconut have the most gravitational potential energy and why?
- Before the coconut falls off the tree because the coconut is at the highest point, and gravitational potential energy is the greatest when an object is at its highest point above the ground
- While the coconut is falling because the coconut is moving, and gravitational potential energy depends on the speed of an object
- When the coconut is on the ground because gravitational potential energy increases as an object gets closer to the ground
- The coconut has the same amount of gravitational potential energy all of the time because gravitational potential energy depends only on the mass of an object.
- Distribution of Responses
- Scale Score for Item Difficulty
(200[Easy]-800[Difficult]) - 497
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1076 | 2467 | 44% |
| Grades | |||
| 4–5 | 125 | 410 | 30% |
| 6–8 | 442 | 1029 | 43% |
| 9–12 | 509 | 1028 | 50% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 520 | 1150 | 45% |
| Female | 539 | 1277 | 42% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 983 | 2226 | 44% |
| Other | 68 | 178 | 38% |