Science Assessment ~ Items ~ RG013003

A woman picks up a laptop computer and notices that the bottom of it feels cool. She turns on the laptop and works on it for an hour. Then she turns it off and picks it up again.

Will the bottom of the laptop be warmer or cooler after being on for an hour?

The bottom of the laptop will be a little cooler after being on for an hour.
The bottom of the laptop will be the same after being on for an hour.
The bottom of the laptop will be a little warmer after being on for an hour.
Whether the bottom of the laptop will be warmer or cooler depends on how much she used it during that hour.

Details
Performance
NGSS

Topic
Correct Answer: C
Misconceptions

Distribution of Responses

Chart showing distrubtion of responses for Item 013003

Scale Score for Item Difficulty (200[Easy]-800[Difficult]): 443

Students Responding Correctly

Group	Correct	Total	Percent
Overall	2726	3854	71%
Grades
4–5	581	883	66%
6–8	1147	1611	71%
9–12	998	1360	73%
Gender
Male	1224	1729	71%
Female	1424	2000	71%
Primary Language
English	2446	3412	72%
Other	183	303	60%

View data table

NRC Framework: PS3.D When machines or animals “use” energy (e.g., to move around), most often the energy is transferred to heat the surrounding environment.

Science Assessment

Item RG013003: The bottom of a laptop will be a little warmer after being on for an hour.