Gravitational energy

Gravitational energy is the energy held by an object because of its high position compared to a lower position. I.e. A pencil being held above a table has a higher gravitational potential than a pencil sitting on the table. Gravitional potential energy is Mechanical energy minus Kinetic Energy. It has a scalar quantity measured in Joules (J).

Formula

The mathematical formula for the gravitational potential energy of an object is:

Force of gravity = $mgh$

Key

Where:

• m is the mass of the object,
• g the gravitional pull
• h the height above a chosen point.

Measurements

Typical measurement units for the equation are:

• The value m is in kilograms,
• The value h is in metres,
• The value g is 9.81 metres per second squared (on earth)