Gravitational potential energy calculator
Enter the mass and the height above your reference level. You can change g to work on the Moon or another planet.
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Processing and privacy: The result is calculated inside your browser and your data is not sent to any server.
How to use it
- Enter mass, height and gravitational acceleration g.
- The result appears straight away and updates as you edit.
- Copy the result, or copy a link that keeps the same values to share it.
How it is calculated
PE = m × g × h, where m is mass, g is gravitational acceleration (standard 9.80665 m/s²) and h is height.
Example
Inputs: Mass = 10 kg, Height = 5 m, Gravitational acceleration g = 9.80665 m/s². Result: Potential energy: 490.3325 J; In kilojoules: 0.4903 kJ.
Limits and caveats
- Assumes g is constant, which holds near the surface but not hundreds of kilometers up.
- The value is relative to your chosen reference level; a negative height means below it.
Questions about this tool
Which g value should I use?
The standard value is 9.80665 m/s²; many textbooks use 9.8 or 10 to keep numbers simple. On the Moon it is about 1.62 m/s².
Where do I measure height from?
From any reference level you choose, such as the floor or a table top. What matters is the height difference between two positions.
How does potential energy relate to kinetic energy?
When an object falls without air resistance, potential energy turns into kinetic energy and their sum stays the same.