This calculator finds the gravitational potential energy of an object raised to a height near a planet's surface. The standard gravity g is filled in automatically, but you can change it for other planets.
What the symbols mean
- E — potential energy (joules).
- m — mass (kilograms).
- g — gravitational acceleration, 9.81 m/s² at Earth's surface (auto-filled).
- h — height above the reference level (metres).
Worked example
Lifting a 2 kg book to a shelf 1.8 m high stores 2 × 9.81 × 1.8 ≈ 35 J of potential energy.