Physics › Section E · Work, energy, and power › Topic E.3
Gravitational potential energy
Lift something and the work you do is not lost: it is stored, ready to reappear as motion when the object falls. Gravitational potential energy measures that store, and only its changes ever matter.
In this topic
- Stored work
- Work done against gravity
- The formula
- Choosing a reference level
- Worked example: one book, two zero levels
- The path does not matter
- Worked example: a hillwalk
- From height to speed
- Worked example: a platform diver
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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