Calculating your gravitational potential energy is straightforward once you know the Potential Energy formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Potential Energy Calculator.
What is Potential Energy?
The Potential Energy calculation tells you your gravitational potential energy from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the gravitational potential energy.
The Potential Energy formula
The core formula is:
Gravitational potential energy = Mass × Gravity (g) × HeightHere is what each input means:
- Mass — a value measured in kg. Example: 10 kg.
- Height — a value measured in m. Example: 5 m.
- Gravity (g) — a value measured in m/s². Example: 9.8 m/s².
How to calculate it step by step
- Write down the mass (for example, 10 kg).
- Write down the height (for example, 5 m).
- Write down the gravity (g) (for example, 9.8 m/s²).
- Apply the formula above to get your gravitational potential energy.
- Double-check the result with the Potential Energy Calculator.
Worked examples
Example 1
| Input / Output | Value |
|---|---|
| Mass | 10 kg |
| Height | 5 m |
| Gravity (g) | 9.8 m/s² |
| Gravitational potential energy | 490.000 |
With mass of 10 kg, height of 5 m and gravity (g) of 9.8 m/s², the gravitational potential energy works out to 490.000.
Example 2
With mass of 20 kg, height of 5 m and gravity (g) of 9.8 m/s², the gravitational potential energy works out to 980.000.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Gravitational potential energy | 980.000 |
Example 3
With mass of 5 kg, height of 5 m and gravity (g) of 9.8 m/s², the gravitational potential energy works out to 245.000.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Gravitational potential energy | 245.000 |
Tips for an accurate result
- Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
- Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
- Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.
Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Potential Energy Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.
Related calculators
Continue exploring science calculators with these tools: Impulse Calculator, Elastic Potential Energy Calculator, Thermal Expansion Calculator, Buoyancy Force Calculator, RPM to Linear Speed Calculator.