What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?


Science >> Physics for Kids What is potential energy? Potential energy is the stored energy an object has because of its position or state. A bicycle on top of a hill, a book held over your head, and a stretched spring all have potential energy.

How to Measure Potential Energy

The standard unit for measuring potential energy is the joule, which is abbreviated as "J."

How is it different from kinetic energy?

Potential energy is stored energy while kinetic energy is the energy of motion. When potential energy is used it is converted into kinetic energy. You can think of potential energy as kinetic energy waiting to happen.

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?
The green ball has potential energy due to its height. The purple ball has kinetic

energy due to its velocity.


A Car on a Hill We can compare potential and kinetic energy by considering a car on a hill. When the car is at the top of the hill it has the most potential energy. If it is sitting still, it has no kinetic energy. As the car begins to roll down the hill, it loses potential energy, but gains kinetic energy. The potential energy of the position of the car at the top of the hill is getting converted into kinetic energy.

Gravitational Potential Energy

One type of potential energy comes from the Earth's gravity. This is called gravitational potential energy (GPE). Gravitational potential energy is the energy stored in an object based on its height and mass. To calculate the gravitational potential energy we use the following equation:

GPE = mass * g * height
GPE = m*g*h


Where "g" is the standard acceleration of gravity which equals 9.8 m/s2. The height is determined based on the height the object could potentially fall. The height may be the distance above the ground or perhaps the lab table we are working on. Example problems: What is the potential energy of a 2 kg rock sitting at the top of a 10 meter high cliff? GPE = mass * g * height

GPE = 2kg * 9.8 m/s2 * 10m

GPE = 196 J

Potential Energy and Work

The potential energy is equal to the amount of work done to get an object into its position. For example, if you were to lift a book off the floor and place it on a table. The potential energy of the book on the table will equal the amount of work it took to move the book from the floor to the table.

Other Types of Potential Energy

  • Elastic - Elastic potential energy is stored when materials stretch or compress. Examples of elastic potential energy include springs, rubber bands, and slingshots.
  • Electric - Electric potential energy is the capacity for doing work based on the object's electric charge.
  • Nuclear - The potential energy of the particles inside an atom.
  • Chemical - Chemical potential energy is the energy stored up in substances due to their chemical bonds. One example of this is the energy stored in gasoline for a car.
Interesting Facts about Potential Energy
  • Scottish scientist William Rankine first coined the term potential energy in the 19th century.
  • The equation for calculating the potential energy of a spring is PE = 1/2 * k * x2, where k is the spring constant and x is the amount of compression.
  • The concept of potential energy goes all the way back to Ancient Greece and the philosopher Aristotle.
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Science >> Physics for Kids

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

An inflated balloon has potential energy in the stretched rubber.

Potential energy is the energy stored within an object, due to the object's position, arrangement or state.

Potential energy is one of the two main forms of energy, along with kinetic energy.

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

Kinetic energy used to compress a spring is stored as potential energy until released.

Potential energy is energy that is stored – or conserved - in an object or substance. This stored energy is based on the position, arrangement or state of the object or substance.

You can think of it as energy that has the 'potential' to do work. When the position, arrangement or state of the object changes, the stored energy will be released.

For example, it requires energy to compress a spring – but what happens to that energy once the spring has been compressed? After all, we know that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another.

Well, in the case of our spring, the kinetic energy used to compress the spring has been converted to potential energy. When we release the spring, the stored potential energy will be converted back into kinetic energy.

There are two main types of potential energy:

  • Gravitational potential energy
  • Elastic potential energy

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

Higher objects (with further to fall) have greater potential energy.

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

The heaviest of 2 objects at the same height has the greatest gravitational potential energy.

Gravitational potential energy is energy in an object that is held in a vertical position, due to the force of gravity working to pull it down.

The amount of gravitational potential energy an object has depends on its height and mass. The heavier the object and the higher it is above the ground, the more gravitational potential energy it holds.

Gravitational potential energy increases as weight and height increases.

Potential energy is energy that is stored in an object or substance.

Gravitational potential energy is energy in an object that is held in a vertical position.

Elastic potential energy is energy stored in objects that can be stretched or compressed.

Elastic potential energy

Elastic potential energy is energy stored in objects that can be stretched or compressed, such as trampolines, rubber bands and bungee cords.

The more an object can stretch, the more elastic potential energy it has.

Examples of potential energy include:

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

A rock sitting on the edge of a cliff. If the rock falls, the potential energy will be converted to kinetic energy, as the rock will be moving.

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

A stretched elastic string in a longbow. When the elastic string is released, it will cause the arrow to shoot forward.

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

A sparkler. The chemical potential energy in a sparkler will be released when the top of the stick is lit.

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

The food we eat. Food contains chemical potential energy – as our bodies digest it, the stored energy is converted into energy for us to move and grow.

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

A swimmer's gravitational potential energy is converted to kinetic energy on diving.

Potential energy is energy that is stored in an object or substance.

Gravitational potential energy is energy in an object that is held in a vertical position.

Elastic potential energy is energy stored in objects that can be stretched or compressed.

The term 'potential energy' was first used by a Scottish engineer called William Rankine during the 19th century.

The concept of potential energy dates all the way back to the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle.

What type of potential energy does an object placed on a shelf have?

A spring stores elastic potential energy because it can be stretched or compressed.

Potential energy is energy that is stored in an object or substance. The two main types of potential energy are gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy.

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