To calculate the energy that an elevated object has stored within it, you may find it’s convenient to use a potential energy calculator – or gravitational potential energy calculator. The gravitational component of the name refers to the energy in storage due to the object’s height or vertical position. 

If you want to find out more about potential energy, including the formula used to calculate it, please read on.

How to Calculate Potential Energy

If you don’t want to worry about formulas, calculations, and inevitable headaches, then the best way to calculate potential energy is with a potential energy calculator! It does all the hard work for you. 

It finds potential energy using three values:

   •	The object’s mass
   •	The gravitational acceleration (on Earth, it’s 9.81 m/s²)
   •	The object’s height 

Once you enter any of those three values, the potential energy calculator gives you the results in joules. 

Did you know potential is not the only form of energy? You can also learn about kinetic energy using a kinetic energy calculator.

The Formula for Calculating Potential Energy

Even though you are calculating something as complex as potential energy, the formula is straightforward. The hardest part is getting your input data. 

Potential Energy Gravity = M x H x G

M = Mass
H = H
G = Gravitational Field Strength (on Earth, it’s 9.81 m/s²)