ASPECt
Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation
Item RG049003: A rock on the higher post is more likely to break when it falls than a rock on a lower post because the rock on the higher post is farther from the ground.
A person has two rocks that are exactly the same. She puts the rocks on top of two different posts as shown in the picture below. Then she pushes the rocks off the posts and they fall to the ground.
Which rock is more likely to break when it hits the ground and why?
- The rock that is on the higher post is more likely to break because it is farther from the ground.
- The rock that is on the lower post is more likely to break because it is closer to the ground.
- Both rocks are equally likely to break because they are the same shape.
- Both rocks are equally likely to break because they weigh the same.
Answer Choice |
Overall |
Grades |
Gender |
Primary Language |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 4251 |
4–5 n = 855 | 6–8 n = 1707 |
9–12 n = 1689 |
Male n = 1960 |
Female n = 2186 |
English n = 3806 |
Other n = 318 |
||
| A. | The rock that is on the higher post is more likely to break because it is farther from the ground. | 75% | 73% | 78% | 74% | 76% | 75% | 76% | 63% |
| B. | The rock that is on the lower post is more likely to break because it is closer to the ground. | 9% | 11% | 9% | 9% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 15% |
| C. | Both rocks are equally likely to break because they are the same shape. | 7% | 7% | 6% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 9% |
| D. | Both rocks are equally likely to break because they weigh the same. | 8% | 8% | 7% | 10% | 7% | 10% | 8% | 13% |