HS-PS3-5 | Forces and Fields · NYS standard · Regents questions
Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.
Clarification statement: Examples of models could include diagrams, texts, algebraic expressions, and drawings representing what happens when two charges of opposite polarity are near each other.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to systems containing two objects.
Note: This is a performance expectation for both HS Physics and HS Chemistry. For chemistry, there is a focus on "atomic structure, interaction of subatomic particles, binding energy, bond formation, polarity, intermolecular forces, non-ideal gas behavior" (as per the NYSED high school course maps).
Regents Exam Questions
Released New York State Regents exam questions that assess HS-PS3-5 are listed here by exam and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.
Chemistry
| Exam | Cluster | Question |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 Chemistry Regents | Go With the Flow | Question 21 |
| June 2026 Chemistry Regents | Equilibria in the Blood | Question 12 |
| Indoor Air Pollution | Question 50 |
Physics
| Exam | Cluster | Question |
|---|---|---|
| June 2026 Physics Regents | Charged Drops | Question 48 |
Vocabulary
Terms that come from this standard or from the released exam questions that assess it, listed by subject. Chemistry terms are from the Chemistry Glossary; Physics terms are from the Physics Glossary.
Chemistry
- algebraic expression
- atomic structure
- binding energy
- bond formation
- charge
- component (of a system)
- electric field
- energy
- evidence
- field energy
- force
- intermolecular forces
- magnetic field
- non-ideal gas behavior
- opposite polarity
- polarity
- subatomic particle
- system
- atom – June 2026
- attractive force – Aug 2026
- gas – June 2026
- heat of solution (ΔH) – Aug 2026
- ion – Aug 2026
- Lewis electron-dot diagram – June 2026
- molecule – Aug 2026, June 2026
- partial charge (δ+, δ−) – June 2026
- solute – June 2026
- solution – Aug 2026, June 2026
- solvent – June 2026
- structural formula – drawn but not named in June 2026 Chip Bag Figure 1 and the June 2026 Equilibria in the Blood rubric.
Physics
- algebraic expression
- cause and effect
- change in energy
- charge
- charges of opposite polarity
- component of a system
- energy
- energy stored in the field
- evidence
- field
- force
- interaction
- limitations of a model
- magnetic field
- mechanism
- object
- polarity
- relative position
- scale (of a model)
- system
- electric field strength – June 2026
- electric potential energy – implied by "the energy stored in the field is changed"
Performance Level Descriptions
Every Regents exam question on HS-PS3-5 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.
Resources
Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-PS3-5.
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NGSS Dimensions
Performance expectation HS-PS3-5 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:
- Developing and Using Models
- Develop and use a model based on evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems or between components of a system.
- PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces
- When two objects interacting through a field change relative position, the energy stored in the field is changed.
- Cause and Effect
- Cause and effect relationships can be suggested and predicted for complex natural and human designed systems by examining what is known about smaller scale mechanisms within the system.