New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Reference Terms
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Potential energy

Potential energy is stored energy. Potential energy is the energy that exists by virtue of the relative positions (configurations) of the objects within a physical system. This form of energy has the potential to change the state of other objects around it, for example, the configuration or motion.

Various forms of energy can be grouped as potential energy. Each of these forms is associated with a particular kind of force acting in conjunction with some physical property of matter (such as mass, charge, elasticity, temperature etc). For example, gravitational potential energy is associated with the gravitational force acting on object's mass; elastic potential energy with the elastic force (ultimately electromagnetic force) acting on the elasticity of a deformed object; electrical potential energy with the coulombic force; strong nuclear force or weak nuclear force acting on the electric charge on the object; chemical potential energy, with the chemical potential of a particular atomic or molecular configuration acting on the atomic/molecular structure of the chemical substance that constitutes the object; thermal potential energy with the electromagnetic force in conjunction with the temperature of the object. For an example of gravitational potential energy, consider a book placed on top of a table. To raise the book from the floor to the table, work must be done, and energy supplied. (If the book is lifted by a person then this is provided by the chemical energy obtained from that person's food and then stored in the chemicals of the body.) Assuming perfect efficiency (no energy losses), the energy supplied to lift the book is exactly the same as the increase in the book's gravitational potential energy. The book's potential energy can be released by knocking it off the table. As the book falls, its potential energy is converted to kinetic energy. When the book hits the floor this kinetic energy is converted into heat and sound by the impact.

Related Stories
 


Matter & Energy News

May 19, 2026

Scientists spent decades chasing signs of a mysterious new force hidden inside the muon, one of nature’s strangest particles. But after years of supercomputer calculations, researchers discovered the apparent anomaly was likely a calculation error ...
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have achieved what was once considered impossible by electrically powering insulating nanoparticles to create a completely new kind of LED. Using tiny organic “molecular antennas,” the team found a way ...
Researchers have developed a durable new catalyst that produces clean hydrogen without relying on expensive platinum metals. The breakthrough could make renewable hydrogen fuel cheaper, more efficient, and easier to scale for real-world energy ...
Electric vehicles are pushing scientists to tackle one of the biggest hidden energy drains inside electric motors: magnetic energy loss. Now, researchers in Japan have developed a powerful AI-driven ...
Scientists have achieved something that once sounded almost impossible: using ordinary sunlight to create quantum-linked photon pairs, a phenomenon normally dependent on precise laboratory lasers. By building a sun-tracking system that funnels ...
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have created a remarkable new material that works like a “rechargeable solar battery,” storing sunlight inside tiny molecules and releasing it later as heat — ...
Scientists in Japan have developed a new way to instantly detect elusive quantum “W states,” a major milestone for quantum technology. The breakthrough could help unlock faster quantum communication, teleportation, and powerful new computing ...
A new quantum-inspired algorithm has cracked a problem so massive that conventional supercomputers struggle to even approach it. Researchers used the method to simulate extraordinarily complex quantum materials known as quasicrystals, opening the ...
A team at the University of Hong Kong has developed a new “super steel” that can survive the harsh conditions needed to make green hydrogen from seawater. The material uses an unexpected double-protection mechanism that resists corrosion far ...
Scientists have taken a major step toward ultra-secure quantum communication by demonstrating a remarkably stable quantum encryption system that worked across more than 120 kilometers of optical fiber. Using tiny semiconductor quantum dots that emit ...
A major obstacle may be standing in the way of the next generation of ultra-tiny computer chips. Researchers discovered that many promising 2D materials lose their advantages because an invisible atomic-scale gap forms when they are combined with ...
Cumberland, B.C. is reimagining its coal mining past as a clean energy opportunity. Water trapped in abandoned mine tunnels could be used in a geothermal system to heat and cool buildings efficiently and with minimal emissions. The project could ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET