What is the gravitational potential energy of a 3 kg ball that is 1 meter above the floor? *

This potential energy calculator enables you to calculate the stored energy of an elevated object. The full name of this effect is gravitational potential energy because it relates to the energy which is stored by an object as a result of its vertical position or height.

Prefer watching rather than reading? Check out our video lesson on gravitational potential energy here:

Keep reading to find out:

How to calculate potential energy
What the gravitational potential energy formula is

The easiest way to calculate gravitational potential energy is to use our potential energy calculator. This tool estimates the potential energy on the basis of three values. These are:

Then the calculator will give you the result in joules. As with all of our calculators, this potential energy calculator does not have to be exclusively used to calculate potential energy. Just input any three of the four variables to find the fourth with ease.

If you want to calculate the energy of an object which is in motion, our kinetic energy calculator is highly recommended.

Let's look under the hood of the potential energy calculator. To help you picture it, our example will be the massive wrecking ball on a crane. The gravitational potential energy of this ball depends on two factors - the mass of the ball and the height it's raised to. The relationship between gravitational potential energy and the mass and height of an object is described by the following equation:

PE grav. = m × h × g

Where:

PE grav. - Gravitational potential energy of an object;
m - Mass of the object in question;
h - Height of the object; and
g - Gravitational field strength acting upon the object (1 g or 9.81 m/s2 on Earth).

The formula is relatively simple. An object which is not raised above the ground will have a height of zero and therefore zero potential energy. When you double the mass or the height of an object, its potential energy will also double.

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This GPE calculator will find the missing variable in the physics equation for gravitational potential energy, when three of the variables are known.

Where:

PEg or PE = gravitational potential energy
m = mass of an object
g = acceleration due to gravity
h = height of the object

What Is Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE)

Potential Energy is the stored energy of an object given its position relative to a body. Gravitational potential energy is one type of potential energy and is equal to the product of the object's mass (m), the acceleration caused by gravity (g), and the object's height (h) as distance from the surface of the ground (the body).

In this example, a 3 kilogram mass, at a height of 5 meters, while acted on by Earth's gravity would have 147.15 Joules of potential energy, PE = 3kg * 9.81 m/s2 * 5m = 147.15 J.

9.81 meters per second squared (or more accurately 9.80665 m/s2) is widely accepted among scientists as a working average value for Earth's gravitational pull. This figure is based on a measure of gravity at sea level at a latitude of 45°.

At higher altitudes, gravity decreases slightly.
The effect of latitude on gravitational force is relevant as gravity increases with increasing distance from the Equator. At the Equator, the Earth's gravity is 9.780 m/s2 and at the poles it is 9.832 m/s2 (source: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics).

Gravitational acceleration (to three significant figures) for other planets and bodies in the solar system is as follows:

(table source: NASA)

*Standard gravity (gn). 1.00gn is equal to 9.80665 m/s2

Potential Energy Units
used in this Calculator

British thermal unit [IT]