Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation ~ Item NG071003 ~ Student Performance

Imagine a ball on a track where no energy is transferred between the ball and the track or between the ball and the air around it. The ball starts from rest at the position labeled Start and moves along the track toward the right.

What is the highest position the ball will reach before stopping and going back down the track? (Remember that no energy is transferred between the ball and the track or between the ball and the air around it.)

Position 1
Position 2
Position 3
The ball will pass Position 3.

Distribution of responses
Answer Choice		Overall	Grades			Gender		Primary Language
		n = 1369	4–5 n = 256	6–8 n = 656	9–12 n = 457	Male n = 660	Female n = 689	English n = 1205	Other n = 133
A.	Position 1	17%	19%	17%	17%	19%	16%	18%	16%
B.	Position 2	55%	55%	52%	61%	56%	54%	56%	53%
C.	Position 3	15%	13%	18%	12%	13%	17%	15%	22%
D.	The ball will pass Position 3.	12%	13%	13%	10%	12%	12%	12%	10%

Science Assessment

Item NG071003: Assuming that no energy is transferred between a ball and the curved track it is moving in, or between the ball and the air around it, the ball will move down the track and then up to a point equal to the height from which it started.