Case 1
- Mass (kg)
- 10kg
- Height (m)
- 5m
490.332500J
Open with these valuesPotential Energy Calculator
490.332500J
Result: 490.332500 JMass times standard gravity times height: 10 kg held 5 m up stores 490.3325 J. The calculator uses g = 9.80665 m/s², the exact conventional value. Energy is linear in both inputs, so doubling either doubles the joules and doubling both quadruples them.
The numbers at a glance
Held fixed: Mass (kg) 10.000 kg.
| Height (m) (m) | Result (J) |
|---|---|
| 0.000 | 0.000000 |
| 2.000 | 196.133000 |
| 4.000 | 392.266000 |
| 5.000Your value | 490.332500 |
| 6.000 | 588.399000 |
| 8.000 | 784.532000 |
| 10.000 | 980.665000 |
Worked examples
Case 2
- Mass (kg)
- 70kg
- Height (m)
- 2m
1,372.931000J
Open with these valuesCase 3
- Mass (kg)
- 0.5kg
- Height (m)
- 3m
14.709975J
Open with these valuesHow it's calculated
E = m × g × h, g = 9.80665 m/s²
- StepEnter the mass of the object in kilograms.
- StepEnter its height above your chosen reference level, in metres.
- ResultRead the stored energy in joules — what it would release if it fell back.
Reference table
| m (kg), h (m) | What it describes | Energy (J) |
|---|---|---|
| 10, 0 | At the reference level, nothing stored | 0 |
| 1, 1 | One kilogram, one metre up | 9.80665 |
| 0.5, 3 | Book lifted onto a high shelf | 14.709975 |
| 2, 10 | 2 kg on a third-floor windowsill | 196.133 |
| 10, 5 | 10 kg raised one storey | 490.3325 |
| 70, 2 | Person standing on a 2 m platform | 1372.931 |
Questions
How do I calculate gravitational potential energy?
Multiply the mass by standard gravity and by the height: E = m × g × h with g = 9.80665 m/s². For a 10 kg object 5 m up, that is 10 × 9.80665 × 5 = 490.3325 J. Mass goes in kilograms and height in metres, and the answer comes out in joules.
Which value of g does this use?
Standard gravity, g = 9.80665 m/s², the exact conventional value published by NIST. It is the acceleration an object gains while falling near the Earth's surface. The true local value varies slightly with latitude and altitude, roughly 9.78 at the equator to 9.83 at the poles.
Which units does it use?
Mass in kilograms and height in metres, giving joules, the SI unit of energy. One joule is roughly the energy of lifting a 1 kg object about 10.2 cm against gravity. Keep to kilograms and metres and no conversion is needed.
What happens if I double the mass or the height?
Either one doubles the energy, because E = m × g × h is linear in both. Doubling the mass from 10 kg to 20 kg at 5 m takes it from 490.3325 J to 980.665 J, and doubling the height does exactly the same. Doubling both quadruples it.
How does this relate to kinetic energy?
Potential energy is stored energy of position, kinetic energy is energy of motion. When an object falls, the potential energy converts into kinetic energy, so the energy at the top roughly equals the motion energy just before landing, ignoring air resistance. That 490.3325 J object would hit the ground carrying about 490.3325 J.
Sources and last check
Information, not professional advice.