MS-PS3-5: Energy Transfer When Motion Changes
Also called NGSS MS-PS3-5 · Topic: Energy · Physical Science
The Official Wording
Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.
Clarification statement: Examples of empirical evidence used in arguments could include an inventory or other representation of the energy before and after the transfer in the form of temperature changes or motion of object.
Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include calculations of energy.
NGSS Lead States, 2013 · Read it on nextgenscience.org · checked October 15, 2026
What MS-PS3-5 Means in Plain English
Students build an argument from evidence that whenever something speeds up or slows down, energy has moved into it or out of it. They track a moving object before and after the change, looking for clues like warmth, sound or another object moving.
Arguments rest on observations such as temperature changes and motion, with no energy calculations. The idea builds on energy transfer in collisions (4-PS3-3) and on kinetic energy (MS-PS3-1), and it grows into conservation of energy in HS-PS3-1.
MS-PS3-5 I Can Statements
- I can spot evidence that energy moved when something slowed down.
- I can trace where energy goes when motion stops.
- I can argue a claim about energy using measurements.
MS-PS3-5 Worked Example
An energy hunt a class can run with insulated bottles of dry sand and a digital thermometer.
When moving sand slams to a stop, where does its motion energy go?
Set It Up: Two insulated bottles each half full of dry sand at room temperature, a digital thermometer that reads to 0.1 °C, and a timer.
- Record the starting temperature of the sand in both bottles.Both 21.4 °C
- Cap one bottle and shake it hard 300 times, holding it by the cap so hands do not warm the sand.Sand slams end to end
- Leave the second bottle still on the table for the same time as the control.Control untouched
- Open both and read the temperatures right away.Shaken 22.0 °C, control 21.4 °C
- Run a fresh trial with 600 shakes.Rise of about 1.2 °C
The shaken sand warmed by about half a degree while the still sand did not change, and twice the shaking gave about twice the rise.
Why it works: Each time the moving sand stopped, its kinetic energy was transferred to the particles of the sand as thermal energy, so the temperature rose.
Common Mistakes with MS-PS3-5
Saying the energy disappears
“When the ball stopped, its energy was used up.”
Try this: Energy does not vanish. Look for where it went, such as warmer surfaces, sound or another object that started moving.
Only seeing transfer when things speed up
Arguing that a braking bike involves no energy transfer
Try this: Slowing down is a transfer too. A braking bike passes its kinetic energy to the brake pads and rim, which warm up.
Making a claim without evidence
“Energy moved into the sand because it just did.”
Try this: Back each claim with a measurement, like a before and after temperature, and compare it with a control that did not move.
Where MS-PS3-5 Fits
Practice MS-PS3-5
Quick Check
- A skateboarder drags a foot to stop. Where does the board's motion energy go?
- A soccer ball speeds up after a kick. Where did its energy come from?
- Why test a bottle of sand that is not shaken?