Potential Energy Calculator
Use our potential energy calculator to calculate gravitational potential energy from mass, height, and gravity. Includes the formula for calculating potential energy, a step-by-step guide, and answers about what causes potential energy, why it can be negative, and whether potential energy increases with distance.
What Is Potential Energy?
Potential energy is stored energy due to an object’s position or configuration. In everyday physics problems, the most common type is gravitational potential energy—energy stored because an object is at some height above a chosen reference level.
Potential energy depends on your reference point (where you define zero). That’s why potential energy can be positive or negative—what matters most is the change in potential energy.
This potential energy calculator focuses on gravitational potential energy near Earth’s surface.
Potential Energy Formula
Gravitational potential energy near Earth is calculated from mass, gravity, and height relative to a reference level.
m is mass (kg), g is gravitational acceleration (m/s²), and h is height (m) relative to your chosen zero level.
Energy is measured in joules (J).
How to Calculate Potential Energy
- 1
Enter the object’s mass (m).
- 2
Enter the height (h) above (or below) your reference level.
- 3
Use gravity (g). Near Earth, a common value is 9.81 m/s².
- 4
Multiply: PE = m × g × h.
Frequently Asked Questions
For gravitational potential energy near Earth: PE = m × g × h, where m is mass, g is gravity, and h is height relative to a chosen reference level.
For near-Earth gravity, potential energy increases linearly with height (distance upward) because PE = mgh. In general gravitational physics (far from Earth), the relationship is different and depends on distance from the mass.
Potential energy comes from position in a force field (like gravity) or from configuration (like a stretched spring). It represents the ability to do work due to that position or configuration.
Potential energy depends on where you define zero. If your reference level is set above an object, the object’s height is negative relative to that reference, making PE negative. Only differences (changes) in potential energy are physically meaningful.
Potential energy is calculated from measurable quantities (like mass and height) using a formula such as PE = mgh. You don’t measure PE directly with a meter; you compute it from measurements.
There isn’t a single universal “maximum potential energy” formula. Maximum potential energy depends on the situation and constraints (for example, maximum height or configuration limits). For near-Earth gravity, higher h produces higher PE for the same mass.
People usually mean the total (or combined) potential energy relative to a reference. In many problems, you track the change in potential energy (ΔPE) to understand energy transfer.