Energy Problem Solving Assessment: Kinetic and Potential
Energy
1. A roller coaster car with a mass of 500 kg is at the top of a hill 40 m high. What is its gravitational
2
potential energy? (Use g=9.8 m/s )
A. 196,000 J
B. 19,600 J
C. 98,000 J
D. 196 J
2. A 2 kg ball is moving at 5 m/s . What is its kinetic energy?
A. 25 J
B. 10 J
C. 50 J
D. 5 J
3. What happens to an object's potential energy as it falls?
A. It increases
B. It decreases
C. It stays the same
D. It multiplies by gravity
4. Which formula represents kinetic energy?
A. PE=mgh
1 2
B. KE= m v
2
2
C. E=m c
D. F=ma
5. A pendulum swings back and forth. At which point does it have maximum potential energy?
A. At the bottom of its swing
B. At the middle of its swing
C. At the highest point of its swing
D. It has the same potential energy throughout
6. If you double an object's mass, its kinetic energy will:
A. Stay the same
B. Double
C. Triple
D. Quadruple
7. A 3 kg object is lifted 2 m. How much work is done against gravity?
A. 58.8 J
B. 6J
C. 29.4 J
D. 5 J
8. What type of energy does a stretched rubber band possess?
A. Kinetic energy
B. Thermal energy
C. Nuclear energy
D. Elastic potential energy
9. If you double an object's velocity, its kinetic energy will:
A. Double
B. Triple
C. Quadruple
D. Stay the same
10. A 1 kg ball is dropped from 10 m. Ignoring air resistance, what will be its kinetic energy just before
hitting the ground?
A. 98 J
B. 10 J
C. 1J
D. 49 J
11. Which factors affect gravitational potential energy?
A. Mass and speed only
B. Height and speed only
C. Mass and height only
D. Mass, height, and speed
12. Energy can be:
A. Created but not destroyed
B. Destroyed but not created
C. Neither created nor destroyed
D. Both created and destroyed
13. A spring is compressed 0.2 m. If the spring constant is 100 N /m, what is its elastic potential
energy?
A. 2J
B. 20 J
C. 1J
D. 10 J
14. Which has more kinetic energy: a 2 kg mass moving at 3 m/s or a 1 kg mass moving at 5 m/s ?
A. 2 kg mass at 3 m/s
B. 1 kg mass at 5 m/s
C. They have equal kinetic energy
D. Not enough information to determine
15. What is the relationship between potential and kinetic energy in a closed system?
A. They are always equal
B. As one increases, the other decreases
C. They both increase together
D. They are not related
16. A book sits on a high shelf. What type of energy does it have?
A. Kinetic energy only
B. Gravitational potential energy only
C. Both kinetic and potential energy
D. Neither kinetic nor potential energy
17. What happens to kinetic energy when speed doubles and mass is halved?
A. Doubles
B. Stays the same
C. Halves
D. Quadruples
18. A 5 kg object moves at 2 m/s . What is its kinetic energy?
A. 10 J
B. 20 J
C. 5J
D. 2 J
19. Which scenario involves zero kinetic energy?
A. A car moving at constant speed
B. A ball at the highest point of its throw
C. A bird gliding through the air
D. A person walking
20. If potential energy decreases by 100 J in a closed system, what happens to kinetic energy?
A. Decreases by 100 J
B. Increases by 100 J
C. Stays the same
D. Not enough information
ANSWER KEY
Warning: Please review all mathematical calculations carefully as AI-generated math solutions may
contain errors.
1. A
2. A
3. B
4. B
5. C
6. D
7. A
8. D
9. C
10. A
11. C
12. C
13. A
14. B
15. B
16. B
17. A
18. A
19. B
20. B
