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Gravitational Potential Energy

PE = mgh

📖 What is Gravitational Potential Energy?

Gravitational potential energy is the energy stored in an object due to its height above the ground. Lift an object higher, and it gains more potential energy — energy that gets released as it falls.

PE = m × g × h

🔤 What Each Variable Means

PE
Potential Energy (Joules, J)The stored energy due to position
m
Mass (kg)The mass of the object
g
Gravitational acceleration (m/s²)On Earth, g ≈ 9.81 m/s² (often rounded to 10 m/s²)
h
Height (metres, m)The vertical height above the reference point

📝 Step-by-Step Example

A 5 kg book is lifted to a shelf 2 m above the floor. What is its potential energy?

1
Identify known valuesm = 5 kg    g = 9.81 m/s²    h = 2 m
2
Write the formulaPE = m × g × h
3
Substitute and calculatePE = 5 × 9.81 × 2
✓
Answer: PE = 98.1 J

🧮 Interactive Calculator

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