Physics

Gravitational potential energy measures how much energy an object stores by virtue of its position in a gravitational field. The key insight is that the increase in $PE$ depends only on the vertical height change and the object's mass—not on how fast it moves or what path it takes. Convert your units carefully, then use $\Delta PE = mgh$ to find the energy gain.

Gravitational potential energy measures how much energy an object stores by virtue of its position in a gravitational field. The key insight is that the increase in $PE$ depends only on the vertical height change and the object's mass—not on how fast it moves or what path it takes. Convert your units carefully, then use $\Delta PE = mgh$ to find the energy gain.