Energy stores and transfers

Question 1

A toy car rolls down a ramp and then collides with a spring at the bottom, compressing the spring. Which statement correctly describes what happens to the car’s energy during the collision?

Accepted Answer

The car's kinetic energy is transferred to the spring, storing it as elastic potential energy.

Answer

The car's kinetic energy is transferred to the spring, storing it as thermal energy.

Answer

The car's kinetic energy is transferred to the spring, storing it as chemical potential energy.

Answer

The car's kinetic energy remains unchanged because the spring does not affect the car.

Question 2

Which of the following lists correctly names five different energy stores and gives a real‑world example for each?

Accepted Answer

• Kinetic energy – a soccer ball rolling across the field • Gravitational potential energy – a book placed on a high shelf • Elastic potential energy – a stretched slingshot ready to launch a pebble • Chemical energy – the gasoline in a car’s fuel tank • Thermal energy – the heat released from a hot cup of tea

Answer

• Kinetic energy – a rock that is falling • Gravitational potential energy – a stretched rubber band • Elastic potential energy – a battery powering a toy car • Chemical energy – a piece of toast • Thermal energy – the light from a flashlight

Answer

• Nuclear energy – a piece of coal in a furnace • Electromagnetic energy – the battery inside a remote control • Gravitational potential energy – a weight hanging from a rope • Elastic potential energy – a compressed spring used in a clicker pen • Chemical energy – the sugar in a candy bar

Answer

• Kinetic energy – a moving skateboard • Kinetic energy – a rolling marble • Gravitational potential energy – a hilltop bike rack • Elastic potential energy – a bent paperclip • Thermal energy – the warmth from a sunny window

Question 3

Which of the following examples best illustrates energy at the macroscopic scale being accounted for as the motion of particles rather than energy stored in a field?

Accepted Answer

A moving car traveling down a highway

Answer

A battery delivering electricity to a circuit

Answer

A magnet pulling a metal nail toward it

Answer

A stretched rubber band that will snap back when released

Try three questions

A toy car rolls down a ramp and then collides with a spring at the bottom, compressing the spring. Which statement correctly describes what happens to the car’s energy during the collision?

Which of the following lists correctly names five different energy stores and gives a real‑world example for each?

Which of the following examples best illustrates energy at the macroscopic scale being accounted for as the motion of particles rather than energy stored in a field?

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