Potential energy due to gravity
Lifting heavy objects increases the potential energy of the object.
The amount of work done when lifting an object of mass m by height h can be obtained as (Potential energy by gravity)
Ep(J) = 9.8 × m × h
m: mass of object (kg)
h: height (m)
The greater the potential energy, the more an object can do.
Let’s consider the process of making a cart come down from a high place and then moving a wooden block. If the cart’s height is doubled or tripled, the wooden blocks will move twice or three times as far away. In other words, it can be seen that the potential energy of an object is proportional to the height of the object. By the way, moving the cart away horizontally does not change the distance the wooden blocks move. In other words, an object’s potential energy is only related to the height in the vertical direction.
Also, if the cart’s mass is doubled or tripled, the wooden blocks move twice or three times as far away. In other words, the potential energy of an object is proportional to its mass.