ASPECt
Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation
Item RG152002: As a boy pushes a girl on a swing, the boy’s energy decreases, and the girl’s energy increases because the boy transferred some of his energy to the girl when he pushed her.
Two children are playing on a swing set. When the boy pushes the girl, her speed increases.
As the boy is pushing the girl on the swing, what happens to the energy each child has?
- The boy’s energy increases, and the girl’s energy increases because they are both moving.
- The boy’s energy decreases, and the girl’s energy decreases because they both use up energy while they move.
- The boy’s energy decreases, and the girl’s energy increases because the boy transferred some of his energy to the girl when he pushed her.
- The boy’s energy decreases, and the girl’s energy stays the same because the boy used energy to push the girl, and the girl just sat on the swing.
Answer Choice |
Overall |
Grades |
Gender |
Primary Language |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 4027 |
4–5 n = 787 | 6–8 n = 1664 |
9–12 n = 1576 |
Male n = 1859 |
Female n = 2053 |
English n = 3622 |
Other n = 269 |
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| A. | The boy’s energy increases, and the girl’s energy increases because they are both moving. | 18% | 23% | 18% | 15% | 19% | 17% | 18% | 20% |
| B. | The boy’s energy decreases, and the girl’s energy decreases because they both use up energy while they move. | 13% | 15% | 12% | 12% | 14% | 12% | 12% | 15% |
| C. | The boy’s energy decreases, and the girl’s energy increases because the boy transferred some of his energy to the girl when he pushed her. | 57% | 47% | 57% | 62% | 56% | 58% | 58% | 47% |
| D. | The boy’s energy decreases, and the girl’s energy stays the same because the boy used energy to push the girl, and the girl just sat on the swing. | 13% | 15% | 13% | 11% | 12% | 13% | 12% | 18% |