Key Idea: Most of what goes on in the universe—from exploding stars and biological growth to the operation of machines and the motion of people—involves some form of energy being converted into one or more other forms of energy.
Students should know that:
- One form of energy can be converted into one or more other forms of energy.
- If there is a decrease in one form of energy, there will be an increase in one or more other forms of energy. Similarly, if there is an increase in one
form of energy, there will be a decrease in one or more other forms of energy.
- All forms of energy can be converted to other forms of energy, and all forms of energy can result from a transformation.
- Energy transformations typically occur when energy is transferred from object or place to another. For example, when a compressed spring is used to push a
ball, elastic potential energy is transformed into motion energy and energy is transferred from the spring to the ball.
- Energy cannot be transformed into a force or vice versa (This is because energy is a property of an object or system and force is an interaction between objects
or systems.).
Boundaries:
- Assessment items require students to analyze real world situations involving energy transformations and identify the forms in which energy is manifested before
and after the transformation.
- Items do not ask students to calculate how much of one form of energy is converted into another given properties such as mass, velocity, height, etc.
- Items may use contexts in which energy transformations occur between kinetic energy (motion energy), thermal energy, gravitational potential energy, chemical
energy, and elastic potential energy.
- Items do not use contexts in which energy transformations occur between electrical energy, sound energy, or radiant energy because we consider these to be
mechanisms of energy transfer and not forms of energy. Transformations involving electrostatic potential energy may be assessed at the advanced level because
electrostatic potential energy is being treated as a form of energy at the advanced level.
Percent of students answering correctly (click on the item ID number to view the item and additional data)
Item ID
Number |
Knowledge Being Assessed |
Grades
4–5 |
Grades
6–8 |
Grades
9–12 |
Select This Item for My Item Bank |
NG010005
|
When a ball is thrown into the air, the motion energy of the ball is transformed into gravitational potential energy.
| N/A | 56% |
66% | 
|
NG012003
|
When a ball bounces off a floor, the elastic energy of the ball is converted into motion energy and gravitational potential energy.
| 47% | 57% |
68% | |
NG007004
|
When you let go of a stretched rubber band, the elastic energy that the rubber band has when it is stretched is converted into motion energy.
| N/A | 55% |
64% | |
NG021003
|
When a hockey puck that is sliding along a level floor hits a wall, motion energy and elastic energy are involved in an energy transformation while the puck is in contact with the wall.
| 39% | 49% |
59% | |
NG003004
|
Gravitational potential energy is transformed into motion energy and thermal energy when coasting down a hill on a bicycle.
| 45% | 50% |
59% | |
RG196001
|
Chemical energy is transformed into kinetic energy (motion energy) in a battery operated watch.
| 35% | 49% |
60% | |
NG100002
|
When a ball is falling down, the gravitational potential energy of the ball is transformed into motion energy but the elastic energy of the ball is not.
| N/A | 51% |
53% | |
NG016004
|
When a ball rolls downhill, the gravitational potential energy of the ball is transformed into motion energy.
| 50% | 51% |
52% | |
NG015004
|
As a ball rolls down a ramp, the gravitational potential energy of the ball decreases and the motion energy of the ball increases because gravitational potential energy is transformed into motion energy.
| 50% | 47% |
56% | |
NG006005
|
When a pine cone falls from a tree, its gravitational potential energy decreases and its motion energy increases because its gravitational potential energy is transformed into motion energy.
| 45% | 44% |
61% | |
NG009006
|
Both gravitational potential energy and motion energy are involved in an energy transformation when a book falls. As the book is falling, its gravitational potential energy decreases and its motion energy increases.
| N/A | 43% |
57% | |
NG008004
|
The brake pads on a bike have more thermal energy after they are used to stop the bike because the motion energy that the bike and rider had was converted into thermal energy.
| 46% | 45% |
55% | |
NG099002
|
When skateboarding down a hill, gravitational potential energy is transformed into motion energy and thermal energy.
| N/A | 43% |
58% | |
NG018004
|
The thermal energy of a ball and a track increases the entire time the ball is rolling along the track because both the gravitational potential energy and the motion energy of the ball are converted into thermal energy.
| N/A | 43% |
58% | |
NG004004
|
Gravitational potential energy is transformed into motion energy as a rock falls from a cliff.
| 40% | 47% |
57% | |
NG005004
|
As a piece of clay falls, its gravitational potential energy is converted to motion energy, and as it hits the floor its motion energy is converted into thermal energy.
| 42% | 47% |
49% | |
NG011004
|
When a box slows down as it slides across the floor, the motion energy of the box decreases and the thermal energy increases because the motion energy is converted into thermal energy.
| 32% | 37% |
47% | |
RG206001
|
When a battery is connected to a capacitor in a closed circuit, chemical energy in the battery is converted into electrostatic potential energy in the capacitor.
| N/A | 38% |
44% | |
NG001004
|
Water dripping from a faucet into a sink is an example of the transformation of gravitational potential energy into motion energy.
| 30% | 38% |
46% | |
NG049004
|
When a spring is used to shoot a cart across the floor, the spring transfers energy to the cart. (This item uses bar graphs to illustrate the amount of elastic energy the spring has and the amount of motion energy the cart has as the cart is rolling across the floor.)
| N/A | 33% |
40% | |
NG017004
|
The motion energy of a ball rolling back and forth in a curved track is converted to gravitational potential energy only when it is rolling uphill.
| 35% | 33% |
37% | |
NG013003
|
As a rubber balls falls to the floor, the motion energy of the ball increases and the gravitational potential energy of the ball decreases because the gravitational potential energy is transformed into motion energy.
| N/A | 29% |
39% | |
NG002004
|
An inflated balloon flying around the room as the air leaves the balloon involves the transformation of elastic energy to motion energy.
| 25% | 34% |
32% | |
NG014003
|
As a rubber balls falls to the floor, the motion energy of the ball increases and the gravitational potential energy of the ball decreases because the gravitational potential energy is transformed into motion energy.
| N/A | 29% |
35% | |
NG079003
|
The motion energy of a book sliding across a table is transformed into thermal energy, not into a force.
| 19% | 30% |
34% | |
RG205001
|
Chemical energy is converted into thermal energy and kinetic energy (motion energy) as runners run.
| 23% | 30% |
28% | |
Frequency of selecting a misconception
Misconception
ID Number |
Student Misconception |
Grades
4–5 |
Grades
6–8 |
Grades
9–12 |
NGM005 |
Energy can be transformed into a force (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.). | 74% | 79% |
82% |
RGM078 |
Matter is converted into energy during chemical reactions. | 16% | 35% |
33% |
NGM037 |
An object always gains energy as it moves. For example, the height that a pendulum reaches after it is released is greater than its starting height because it gains energy as it swings (Loverude, 2004). | 34% | 28% |
22% |
NGM008 |
Elastic energy cannot be transformed into motion energy (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.). | 17% | 24% |
26% |
NGM010 |
Energy can be created (Kruger, 1990; Lovrude, 2004; Papadouris et al., 2008). | 29% | 24% |
20% |
EGM005 |
Objects at rest have no energy. Energy is associated only with obvious activity or movement (Brook & Driver, 1984; Finegold & Trumper, 1989; Kruger, 1990; Kruger et al., 1992; Stead, 1980; Summers & Kruger, 1993; Trumper, 1990, 1997a, 1997b, 1998; Trumper & Gorsky, 1993; Watts, 1983). For example, when asked for examples of energy, students say: “A fire burning…a telephone ringing…chemicals frothing…people running…that sort of thing” (Watts, 1983). | 27% | 19% |
15% |
EGM035 |
Springs or other elastic objects have the same amount of elastic energy regardless of how much they are stretched or compressed (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.). | 12% | 19% |
15% |
EGM044 |
Gravitational potential energy is the potential to fall; an object will lose all of its gravitational potential energy as soon as it starts to fall (Herrmann-Abell & DeBoer, 2010; Loverude, 2004). | 15% | 16% |
15% |
NGM009 |
An object has energy within it that is used up as the object moves (Brook & Driver, 1984; Kesidou & Duit, 1993; Loverude, 2004; Stead, 1980). | 18% | 16% |
13% |
NGM003 |
Motion energy is not transformed into thermal energy, especially when there is no noticeable temperature increase (Brook & Wells, 1988; Kesidou & Duit, 1993). | N/A | 14% |
13% |
NGM006 |
Motion energy cannot be transformed into gravitational potential energy (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.). | 15% | 11% |
12% |
NGM011 |
Gravitational potential energy cannot be converted into thermal energy (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.). | 12% | 12% |
10% |
NGM002 |
One form of energy cannot be transformed into another form of energy (e.g. chemical energy cannot be converted to kinetic energy) (Brook & Driver, 1984). | 10% | 12% |
9% |
NGM007 |
Gravitational potential energy cannot be transformed into motion energy (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.). | 11% | 11% |
9% |
RGM040 |
Chemical reactions only involve transformations of matter not transformations of energy. | 11% | 10% |
9% |
Frequency of selecting a misconception was calculated by dividing the total number of times a misconception was chosen by the number of times it could have been chosen, averaged over the number of students answering the questions within this particular idea.
