Potential Energy Calculator

Lift a mass m to height h and you store PE = mgh joules of gravitational potential energy. Solve for energy, mass, or height with unit conversion and steps.

Potential Energy Calculator

$PE = mgh$

Solve for

Potential energy (PE)

Unit

Mass (m)

Unit

Result unit

How to interpret the result

Potential energy is stored work: lifting a mass through height h stores mgh joules, which convert back to kinetic energy (or heat, or work) when it falls. Only height differences matter — the zero level is your choice.

Assumptions

Uniform gravity g = 9.81 m/s² near Earth's surface
Height measured from an arbitrary but fixed reference level
No other forces (air resistance ignored)