Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation ~ Misconception RGM070

The greater the distance between two charges, the greater the electrostatic potential energy regardless of whether the charges attract or repel each other (Lindsey, 2014).

Items that test for misconception RGM070 in this project (ASPECt) and key idea (Electrostatic potential energy can …)
Item ID Number	Item Description	How Often the Misconception was Chosen
RG116002	The electrostatic potential energy of the system of two positively charged objects decreases as the distance between then increases, and the kinetic energy of the moving particle increases and the distance increases..	47%
RG202001	Decreasing the distance between two positively charges particles, increases the amount of electrostatic potential energy in the system because potential energy increases when the distance between like particles decreases.	23%
RG129002	Decreasing the distance between the two positively charged particles and increasing the magnitude of the charge of the particles would increase the amount of electrostatic potential energy in the system.	22%
RG125002	Decreasing the distance between two positively charges particles, increases the amount of electrostatic potential energy in the system.	22%
RG203001	Increasing the distance between two positively charges particles, decreases the amount of electrostatic potential energy in the system because potential energy decreases when the distance between like particles increases.	19%