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Potential energy calculator

Compute gravitational potential energy from mass, height and gravity (E = mgh).

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The Potential energy calculator turns Mass (kg), Height (m), Gravity (m/s²) into Potential energy (J), instantly and for free. For instance, with Mass (kg) = 10, Height (m) = 20 and Gravity (m/s²) = 9.81 it returns Potential energy (J) = 1,962.

How to use it

  1. Enter your values: Mass (kg), Height (m), Gravity (m/s²).
  2. Read the result instantly: Potential energy (J).

Frequently asked questions

How does the Potential energy calculator work?

It takes Mass (kg), Height (m) and Gravity (m/s²) and derives Potential energy (J) from them. The calculation is live as you type, so the result updates on every change.

Which values does the calculator ask for?

3 values: Mass (kg), Height (m) and Gravity (m/s²). Nothing else is required — no account, no file upload.

What does a typical calculation look like?

With Mass (kg) = 10, Height (m) = 20 and Gravity (m/s²) = 9.81, the calculator returns Potential energy (J) = 1,962. Those figures come from running this exact tool, so you can reproduce them by entering the same values.

How much does the result change with different inputs?

It moves a lot. Using Mass (kg) = 11, Height (m) = 22 and Gravity (m/s²) = 19.62 instead, Potential energy (J) goes from 1,962 to 4,748 — which is why it is worth testing a few scenarios rather than trusting a single figure.

What does it give for smaller values?

Scaled down to Mass (kg) = 9, Height (m) = 18 and Gravity (m/s²) = 4.91, Potential energy (J) comes out at 795.42. The relationship is worth checking at both ends before you rely on a single result.

When would I actually use this?

Checking a homework answer, sizing something before building it, and getting an order of magnitude before committing to a design — a torque on a bolt, the force a spring returns, the frequency a circuit resonates at, how long light takes to arrive.

What is the most common mistake?

Feeding in a value in the wrong unit. Physics formulas assume SI throughout, so grams instead of kilograms or centimetres instead of metres shifts the answer by powers of ten without any warning.

What is the difference between the Potential energy calculator and the Spring potential energy calculator?

This one returns Potential energy (J); the Spring potential energy calculator returns Elastic energy (J). That is the whole difference — open the one whose figure you need.

Is there a tool for the next step?

Kinetic energy calculator is the closest one after this: Compute kinetic energy from mass and velocity (½mv²).

What else is worth having open alongside it?

Kinetic energy chicken cooker and E = mc² Calculator (Mass–Energy) — they come up in the same task often enough to be worth a second tab.

Further reading

All guides →
ExplainerProjectile Motion Explained: Range, Height, Flight Time — and Why 45° Is Not Always BestThree formulas cover the whole of projectile motion on level ground. The catch is level ground: the moment launch and landing heights differ, the 45° result stops being true.ExplainerWhat Is Kinetic Energy? The KE = ½mv² Formula ExplainedKinetic energy is the energy of motion, given by KE = ½mv². Learn what the formula means, why speed matters most, and see worked examples in joules.ExplainerHooke's Law Explained: F = kx, Real Spring Constants, and Where It Stops HoldingHooke's law says force is proportional to stretch — but only below the elastic limit. Here is F = kx with worked numbers, what a 200 N/m spring actually feels like, and how springs combine.ExplainerHow Buoyancy Works: Archimedes' Principle, and Why Ice Floats With 10.5 % Above WaterThe upward force equals the weight of the fluid pushed aside. That one sentence decides whether something floats, and if it floats, exactly how much of it stays under.GuideThe Four Kinematics Equations: Which One to Use, and What Each One Leaves OutFive variables, four equations, and each equation is missing exactly one of them. Choose by looking at the variable the question never mentions.ExplainerWhat Is Horsepower? Mechanical hp, Metric PS, and kWHorsepower measures the rate of doing work. Learn where the unit came from, how mechanical hp differs from metric PS/CV, and how both relate to kilowatts.