ASPECt
Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation
Item EG043005: For two identical springs, the spring that is compressed more has more elastic energy.
A student has two identical springs, Spring 1 and Spring 2. She compresses Spring 1 a little bit, and she compresses Spring 2 as much as she can.
While the springs are compressed, which spring has more elastic potential energy and why?
- Spring 1 has more elastic potential energy because the student can still compress it more.
- Spring 2 has more elastic potential energy because it is compressed more than Spring 1.
- Both springs have the same amount of elastic potential energy because they are identical springs.
- Neither spring has any elastic potential energy because springs only have elastic energy when they are stretched and not when they are compressed.
Answer Choice |
Overall |
Grades |
Gender |
Primary Language |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 8022 |
4–5 n = 1322 | 6–8 n = 3635 |
9–12 n = 3065 |
Male n = 3726 |
Female n = 4076 |
English n = 7044 |
Other n = 737 |
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| A. | Spring 1 has more elastic potential energy because the student can still compress it more. | 15% | 18% | 15% | 12% | 15% | 15% | 14% | 15% |
| B. | Spring 2 has more elastic potential energy because it is compressed more than Spring 1. | 62% | 63% | 60% | 63% | 63% | 62% | 63% | 57% |
| C. | Both springs have the same amount of elastic potential energy because they are identical springs. | 14% | 11% | 14% | 16% | 14% | 15% | 14% | 17% |
| D. | Neither spring has any elastic potential energy because springs only have elastic energy when they are stretched and not when they are compressed. | 9% | 7% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 11% |