Science Assessment ~ Items ~ RG132002

A student has three springs and would like to compare the elastic potential energy the springs have when stretched. He stretches all three springs 5 cm and lets go, which allows them to go back to their unstretched lengths. He makes several observations about each spring and records his observations in the table below:

Spring	How difficult to stretch?	Unstretched Length	Weight
1	Easiest to stretch	Shortest	In between 2 and 3
2	Hardest to stretch	In between 1 and 3	Lightest
3	In between 1 and 2	Longest	Heaviest

Based on his findings, the student decides that Spring 3 has the most elastic potential energy. Is the student’s conclusion accurate?

Yes, Spring 3 has the most elastic potential energy because the heavier a spring is the more elastic potential energy it has.
Yes, Spring 3 has the most elastic potential energy because the longer a spring is the more elastic potential energy it has.
No, Spring 1 has the most elastic potential energy because the easier a spring is to stretch, the more elastic potential energy it has.
No, Spring 2 has the most elastic potential energy because the harder a spring is to stretch, the more elastic potential energy it has.

Details
Performance
NGSS

Topic
Correct Answer: D
Misconceptions

Distribution of Responses

Chart showing distrubtion of responses for Item 132002

Scale Score for Item Difficulty (200[Easy]-800[Difficult]): 535

Students Responding Correctly

Group	Correct	Total	Percent
Overall	1179	4716	25%
Grades
4–5	143	721	20%
6–8	477	1964	24%
9–12	559	2031	28%
Gender
Male	570	2117	27%
Female	571	2456	23%
Primary Language
English	1069	4245	25%
Other	76	302	25%

View data table

Disciplinary Core Ideas: PS3.A A system of objects may also contain stored (potential) energy, depending on their relative positions.

Science Assessment

Item RG132002: When comparing three springs, the spring that is harder to stretch will have more elastic potential energy than the other springs if they are all stretched the same amount.