4th Grade Science : Explain how an object's speed relates to its energy
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for 4th Grade Science
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
Glen and his friends Liam and London are going sledding at a local park. There are two hills to choose from, "The Bunny Slopes," which are small hills and lots of flat surfaces, and "The Dragon," which is a steep hill and not for beginners. Glen crashes a lot, and his friends are a little nervous. If Glen were to crash into Liam and London when they were sledding, how would the crash be different on "The Bunny Slopes" than "The Dragon"?
A crash on "The Dragon" would have more energy and speed associated with it because it is a steeper hill, so the impact would propel Liam and London forward a long distance.
A crash on "The Bunny Slopes" would have more energy and speed associated with it because it is a steeper hill, so the impact would propel Liam and London forward a long distance.
A crash on "The Dragon" or "The Bunny Slopes" would be the same because Glen would hit Liam and London with the same amount of force and speed.
A crash on "The Dragon" would have less energy and speed associated with it because it is less steep of a hill, so the impact would propel Liam and London forward a short distance.
A crash on "The Dragon" would have more energy and speed associated with it because it is a steeper hill, so the impact would propel Liam and London forward a long distance.
When Glen sleds down both of these hills, he will be traveling at a speed relative to the slope of the hill and gravity's pull. "The Dragon" is a much steeper and longer decline, so Glen will have more time to gain speed, which means more energy behind the collision. If Liam and London are down at the end of the slope and Glen crashes into them, the force will drive both of their sleds forward and slow or stop Glen's sled. The faster Glen is going, the more energy he has behind the impact.
Example Question #2 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
Peter sets up his toy train on the railroad tracks he has in a straight line. He has a tool to measure the speed the train is traveling in centimeters/second when he pushes it to go. He set a box at the end of the ramp for the train to crash into. He measures in centimeters how far the train pushes the box and records the data in a table.
What would happen to the distance the box moves if the train increases in speed?
The box would move a longer distance.
The box would move the same distance as a train moving at 70 cm/s.
The box would move a shorter distance.
The box would move the same distance as a train moving at 30 cm/s.
The box would move a longer distance.
Peter’s investigation was testing how the distance a box moved would change as the speed of a toy train increased or decreased. The pattern within the data table shows that the higher the rate of the train, the further the box moved. An inference can be made that the higher something’s speed is, the more energy it has. Higher amounts of energy will result in a more significant change of motion for the object it is acting on. When the speed decreases, the distance the box moves also decreases. There is a direct relationship between speed and energy. So if he were to increase the speed of the train, the box would move a longer distance.
Example Question #3 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
Mihika and Craig are racing cars down different sloped ramps. Mihika's car traveled down Slope A and Craig's traveled down Slope B. Mihika's car traveled further than Craig's. Why did her car travel further than Craig's?
Mihika's car traveled further because her ramp was steeper and allowed her vehicle to pick up more speed.
Mihika's car traveled further because her ramp was steeper and allowed her vehicle to pick up less speed.
Mihika's car traveled further because her ramp was more shallow and allowed her vehicle to pick up more speed.
Mihika's car traveled further because her ramp was more shallow and allowed her vehicle to pick up less speed.
Mihika's car traveled further because her ramp was steeper and allowed her vehicle to pick up more speed.
Mihika's car traveled further than Craig's and the children are wondering why this happened. Mihika has a very steep slope to her ramp which allows her toy car to travel faster and further. The more speed that the car can generate the more energy it has, this will allow the car to move further.
Example Question #4 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
Mihika and Craig are racing cars down different sloped ramps. Mihika's car traveled down Slope A and Craig's traveled down Slope B. Mihika's car traveled further than Craig's. Craig wants to beat her in the next trial. What can he do to his ramp to make his car travel further?
Craig can raise his ramp to make it steeper.
Craig can lower his ramp to make it more shallow.
Craig can lower his ramp to make it steeper.
Craig can raise his ramp to make it more shallow.
Craig can raise his ramp to make it steeper.
Mihika's car traveled further than Craig's because her ramp was steeper. This allowed her car to gain more speed and gravity to have more of a pull on the vehicle. More energy and speed will enable the car to travel faster and further. If Craig makes his ramp steeper, he will have a chance of beating Mihika in the next trial. In theory, if his ramp is steeper than Mihika's, he should be able to gain more speed and more energy so the car will travel further.
Example Question #5 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
Peter sets up his toy train on the railroad tracks he has in a straight line. He has a tool to measure the speed the train is traveling in centimeters/second when he pushes it to go. He set a box at the end of the ramp for the train to crash into. He measures in centimeters how far the train pushes the box and records the data in a table.
What is Peter investigating in this experiment?
How the distance a box moved would change as the speed of a toy train increased or decreased.
There is no way to tell what Peter is testing.
How the speed a box moved would change as the distance of a toy train increased or decreased.
How the speed a box moved would change as the speed of a toy train increased or decreased.
How the distance a box moved would change as the speed of a toy train increased or decreased.
Peter’s investigation was testing how the distance a box moved would change as the speed of a toy train increased or decreased. The pattern within the data table shows that the higher the rate of the train, the further the box moved. An inference can be made that the higher something’s speed is, the more energy it has. Higher amounts of energy will result in a more significant change of motion for the object it is acting on. When the speed decreases, the distance the box moves also decreases. There is a direct relationship between speed and energy. So if he were to increase the speed of the train, the box would move a longer distance.
Example Question #1 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
A pencil is on a teacher's desk.
Why does the pencil remain motionless and NOT fall to the ground?
The pencil has no forces acting upon it when it is at rest.
The pencil only has the upward force of the desk exerting on it.
The desk exerts a force equal to the force of gravity but applied in the opposite direction.
The forces applied to the pencil are too strong to allow the pencil to move.
The desk exerts a force equal to the force of gravity but applied in the opposite direction.
An inference can be made that the higher something’s speed is, the more energy it has. Higher amounts of energy will result in a more significant change of motion for the object it is acting on. When the speed decreases, the distance the object moves also decreases. There is a direct relationship between speed and energy. In this case, the pencil has no speed or kinetic energy of its own; the desk is exerting force upwards while gravity is exerting force downwards in equal amounts, so there is no change in motion for the pencil.
Example Question #1 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
Which of these has the most speed and energy?
A teddy bear sitting at a tea party
A cat resting in the windowsill
A car parked in the driveway
A motorcycle driving down the road
A motorcycle driving down the road
An inference can be made that the higher something’s speed is, the more energy it has. Higher amounts of energy will result in a more significant change of motion for the object it is acting on. When the speed decreases, the distance the object moves also decreases. There is a direct relationship between speed and energy. A motorcycle driving down the road has the most speed and energy.
Example Question #1 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
Katie and Gordon were experimenting with two bowling balls. One of the bowling balls had a mass of 6 kilograms, and the other had a mass of 4 kilograms. They compared the force needed to roll each of the balls at the same speed. They also compared how much force it took to stop the balls when the balls were rolling at the same speed.
Which conclusion did the students MOST likely arrive at after experimenting with both bowling balls?
The bowling ball with the smaller mass was easier to roll and easier to stop than the bowling ball with more mass.
Both bowling balls were equally hard to roll at the same speed, but the bowling ball with more mass was easier to stop.
The bowling ball with more mass was harder to roll but easier to stop than the bowling ball with the smaller mass.
Both bowling balls were equally hard to roll at the same speed, but the bowling ball with the smaller mass was easier to stop.
The bowling ball with the smaller mass was easier to roll and easier to stop than the bowling ball with more mass.
Gordon and Katie most likely concluded that the bowling ball with the smaller mass was easiest to roll and stop than the ball with more mass. The smaller bowling ball would require less force to move and stop because it has less mass. The greater the mass, the more force is needed to make a change in motion.
Example Question #1 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
A group of students is investigating motion using a toy car, a ramp, and a plastic cup. The students place an empty plastic cup at the bottom of a ramp. Where on the ramp should the students release the car to push the plastic cup the farthest?
From the top of the ramp
From the bottom of the ramp
From the center of the ramp
From flat on the ground
From the top of the ramp
An inference can be made that the higher something’s speed is, the more energy it has. Higher amounts of energy will result in a more significant change of motion for the object it is acting on. When the speed decreases, the distance the object moves also decreases. There is a direct relationship between speed and energy. If the car is placed at the top of the ramp, it will have more force exerted on it from gravity pulling it towards the ground, more room to gather speed, and the steeper incline would allow for more force to be transferred to the plastic cup, therefore, moving it a further distance.
Example Question #3 : Explain How An Object's Speed Relates To Its Energy
Shakira ordered two bowling balls of the same size and type. She bought one pink ball and one orange ball. Shakira rolled each ball down the same lane at the bowling alley one time while a friend used her phone timer to measure the time it took for the balls to travel to the end of the lane. After rolling both balls down the same lane one time, they noticed that the pink ball made it to the end of the lane faster than the orange ball.
Which is the most likely reason that the pink ball moved faster than the orange ball?
The pink ball was more attractive than the orange ball.
The pink ball had more force applied to it than the orange ball.
The pink ball experienced less friction than the orange ball.
The pink ball had a higher magnetic charge than the orange ball.
The pink ball had more force applied to it than the orange ball.
An inference can be made that the higher something’s speed is, the more energy it has. Higher amounts of energy will result in a more significant change of motion for the object it is acting on. When the speed decreases, the distance the object moves also decreases. There is a direct relationship between speed and energy. If the pink ball had more force applied to it, then it would move faster down the lane when compared to the orange ball.
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