Introduction
The Potential Energy Calculator helps you find how much energy an object has because of its position. When you lift something up, it gains potential energy. The higher you lift it, the more energy it stores. This stored energy can turn into movement when the object falls back down.
To find potential energy, you need three things: the object's mass (how heavy it is), its height above the ground, and gravity's pull. Our calculator uses the formula PE = mgh, where PE is potential energy, m is mass, g is gravity (9.8 m/s² on Earth), and h is height. Just enter your values, and the calculator will show you the potential energy in joules.
How to use our Potential Energy Calculator
Enter the mass and height of an object to find out how much potential energy it has stored.
Mass: Type in how heavy your object is in kilograms (kg). This is the weight of the thing you want to calculate potential energy for.
Height: Type in how high your object is from the ground in meters (m). This is the distance the object could fall down.
Understanding Potential Energy
Potential energy is the energy an object has because of its position or height. When you lift a book above your head, it gains potential energy. The higher you lift it, the more potential energy it has. This energy is "stored" and ready to be used - if you drop the book, the potential energy turns into movement energy as it falls.
The amount of potential energy depends on three things: how heavy the object is (its mass), how high it is above the ground (its height), and the strength of gravity. On Earth, gravity always pulls things down with the same force. We use a simple formula to find potential energy: multiply the object's mass by its height, then multiply by gravity's strength (9.8 meters per second squared on Earth). You can explore how gravity affects objects with our Gravitational Force Calculator.
Potential energy is measured in joules, named after scientist James Joule. One joule is a small amount of energy - about the energy needed to lift an apple one meter high. Heavy objects have more potential energy than light ones at the same height. Also, objects higher up have more potential energy than those closer to the ground. This is why dropping a bowling ball from a tall building can cause more damage than dropping it from your hand. When objects fall and convert potential energy to motion, you can calculate this transformation using our Kinetic Energy Calculator or explore falling motion with our Free Fall Calculator.