ASPECt
Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation
Most of what goes on in the universe—from exploding stars and biological growth to the operation of machines a…
Item NG003004: Gravitational potential energy is transformed into motion energy and thermal energy when coasting down a hill on a bicycle.
A girl is riding her bicycle down a hill without pedaling. She speeds up as she goes down the hill, and the tires get a little warmer. What energy transformations happen while she is going down the hill?
- Kinetic energy (motion energy) is transformed into gravitational potential energy and thermal energy.
- Gravitational potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy (motion energy) and thermal energy.
- Gravitational potential energy is transformed only into kinetic energy (motion energy).
- No energy transformations are involved while she is going down the hill.
- Distribution of Responses
- Scale Score for Item Difficulty
(200[Easy]-800[Difficult]) - 483
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 769 | 1467 | 52% |
| Grades | |||
| 4–5 | 132 | 296 | 45% |
| 6–8 | 306 | 614 | 50% |
| 9–12 | 331 | 557 | 59% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 376 | 733 | 51% |
| Female | 377 | 701 | 54% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 683 | 1291 | 53% |
| Other | 68 | 139 | 49% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- PS3.B When the motion energy of an object changes, there is inevitably some other change in energy at the same time.
- NRC Framework
- PS3.B For example, the friction that causes a moving object to stop also results in an increase in the thermal energy in both surfaces…
- PS3.A …lifting an object increases the stored energy in the gravitational field between that object and Earth (gravitational potential energy) compared to that for the object at Earth’s surface; when the object falls, the stored energy decreases and the object’s kinetic energy increases.