Science Assessment

Two children are racing toy cars. At the beginning of the race, they each push their car against a spring. The child with Car #1 pushes the spring in as far as the spring can go. The child with Car #2 pushes the spring in just a little bit. To have a fair race, the children use springs and cars that are exactly the same.

Which spring has more energy just before the children let go of the cars and why?

1. The spring with Car #1 has more energy because it is pushed in more than the other spring.
2. The spring with Car #2 has more energy because it can still be pushed in farther, but the other spring is already pushed in as far as it can go.
3. Both springs have the same amount of energy because the springs are exactly the same.
4. Neither spring has any energy because the springs are not moving before the children let go.