Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Energy: Forms, Transformation, Transfer, and Conservation ~ Misconception EGM038

The gravitational potential energy of an object does not depend on the mass of the object (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.).

Items that test for misconception EGM038 in this project (ASPECt) and key idea ()
Item ID Number	Item Description	How Often the Misconception was Chosen
EG019005	When a bird is flying with a stick in its mouth, the bird has more gravitational potential energy because it weighs more than the stick.	20%
RG178001	When a bird and a piece of food are at the same height above the ground, the bird has more gravitational potential energy because the it has more mass than the food.	19%
RG134002	An elevator carrying more mass will have more gravitational potential energy than an identical elevator carrying less mass because gravitational potential energy increases as mass increases.	15%
EG091001	Two airplanes that are flying at same distance from the ground will have the same amount of gravitational potential energy if they have the same mass.	15%