Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation ~ Misconception EGM053

The gravitational potential energy of an object decreases as an object moves farther away from the center of the earth and the gravitational potential energy increases as the object falls toward the earth (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.).

Items that test for misconception EGM053 in this project (ASPECt) and key idea (The amount of energy an object has …)
Item ID Number	Item Description	How Often the Misconception was Chosen
RG048002	A weight will have more energy when it is 6 feet above the ground than when it is 3 feet above the ground because the higher an object is the more energy it has.	17%
RG050002	A flower pot on the taller post has more energy than a flower pot on the shorter post because it is higher above the ground.	11%
RG083002	A box on the top shelf has more energy than a box on a lower shelf because the box on the higher shelf is farther from the ground.	10%
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.	9%

Items that test for misconception EGM053 in this project (ASPECt) and other key ideas
EG014003	The gravitational potential energy of an object decreases as it falls.	38%
EG067002	The gravitational potential energy of a space shuttle increases as it gets higher in the sky.	36%
EG088002	When two children who weigh the same are on a teeter-totter, the child who is up has more gravitational potential energy than the child who is down.	27%
EG017004	For two students of equal height and weight, the student standing on the higher diving board has more gravitational potential energy than the student standing on the lower diving board.	17%
EG087001	A coconut has the most gravitational potential energy before it falls from a tree because a coconut is at the highest point above the ground before it falls.	10%