Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation ~ Item NG051002 ~ Student Performance

A student uses a rubber band to shoot a toy car across a level floor.

Does the rubber band have less energy while the car is rolling across the floor and while the rubber band is no longer in contact with the car? Why or why not?

Yes, the rubber band has less energy because energy was transferred to the car.
Yes, the rubber band has less energy because energy was used up. Energy was not transferred to the car.
No, the rubber band has the same amount of energy because the energy that is stored in a rubber band does not change.
No, the rubber band has the same amount of energy because the rubber band transferred a force to the car. The rubber band did not transfer energy to the car.

Distribution of responses
Answer Choice		Overall	Grades			Gender		Primary Language
		n = 2967	4–5 n = 324	6–8 n = 1415	9–12 n = 1228	Male n = 1415	Female n = 1488	English n = 2621	Other n = 258
A.	Yes, the rubber band has less energy because energy was transferred to the car.	55%	55%	50%	59%	56%	53%	55%	50%
B.	Yes, the rubber band has less energy because energy was used up. Energy was not transferred to the car.	18%	12%	21%	15%	19%	17%	18%	17%
C.	No, the rubber band has the same amount of energy because the energy that is stored in a rubber band does not change.	14%	17%	14%	13%	14%	13%	13%	18%
D.	No, the rubber band has the same amount of energy because the rubber band transferred a force to the car. The rubber band did not transfer energy to the car.	14%	16%	15%	13%	11%	17%	14%	15%

Science Assessment

Item NG051002: When a rubber band is used to shoot a toy car across the floor, the rubber band has less energy because energy was transferred to the car.