Science Assessment ~ Items ~ NG016004

A ball is rolling up and over a hill. The ball slows down as it moves from Position 1 to Position 3, and it speeds up as it moves from Position 3 to Position 5.

When is the gravitational potential energy of the ball being transformed into kinetic energy (motion energy)?

Only when the ball rolls from Position 1 to Position 3
Only when the ball rolls from Position 3 to Position 5
The entire time the ball is rolling from Position 1 to Position 5
It is not being transformed at any time because gravitational potential energy cannot be transformed into kinetic energy (motion energy).

Details
Performance
NGSS

Topic: Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation
Correct Answer: B
Misconceptions

Distribution of Responses

Chart showing distrubtion of responses for Item EG016004

Scale Score for Item Difficulty (200[Easy]-800[Difficult]): 485

Students Responding Correctly

Group	Correct	Total	Percent
Overall	1028	1996	52%
Grades
4–5	209	416	50%
6–8	458	892	51%
9–12	361	688	52%
Gender
Male	491	962	51%
Female	521	1003	52%
Primary Language
English	958	1835	52%
Other	56	133	42%

View data table

NRC Framework: 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.

Science Assessment

Item NG016004: When a ball rolls downhill, the gravitational potential energy of the ball is transformed into motion energy.