
Developed by David Rosengrant and Chandralekha Singh
Purpose | To understand the difficulties students have in interpreting the concepts of energy and momentum and in correctly identifying and applying them in different physical situations. |
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Format | Pre/post, Multiple-choice |
Duration | 50 min |
Focus | Mechanics Content knowledge (energy, momentum) |
Level | Intro college |
Sample questions from the EMCS:

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This is the highest level of research validation, corresponding to all seven of the validation categories below.
Research Validation Summary
Based on Research Into:
- Student thinking
Studied Using:
- Student interviews
- Expert review
- Appropriate statistical analysis
Research Conducted:
- At multiple institutions
- By multiple research groups
- Peer-reviewed publication
The multiple-choice questions on the EMCS were developed by first planning the content and complexity to be tested and getting feedback from experts. Questions were then written and student responses to open-ended versions of the questions were collected. These student responses and findings from student interviews were used to create the multiple-choice options, which then underwent further expert review. Appropriate statistical analyses of reliability and discrimination found the EMCS to have good reliability and discrimination. A factor analysis found six factors, but the factors accounted for a very small amount of the variance, so they are not meaningful. The EMCS has been given to over 3000 students at a variety of institutions to students in algebra-based and calculus-based courses. There are three peer-reviewed publications presenting EMCS data.
References
- M. Sahin, The impact of problem-based learning on engineering students’ beliefs about physics and conceptual understanding of energy and momentum, Eur. J. Engr. Educ. 35 (5), 519 (2010).
- C. Singh and D. Rosengrant, Multiple-choice test of energy and momentum concepts, Am. J. Phys. 71 (6), 607 (2003).
- C. Singh and D. Rosengrant, Students' Conceptual Knowledge of Energy and Momentum, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2001, Rochester, New York, 2001.
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Language | Translator(s) | |
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Finnish | Antti Savinainen and Kauko Kauhanen | ![]() |
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The latest version of the EMCS, released in 2001, is version 1.