Gravitational Potential Energy

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Have you ever seen a firework display light up the night sky,watched a hot air balloon lift off during sunrise, or maybe caught an F1 race—on TV or even in real life?

All of that takes energy.

Energy is what makes things happen. It powers our homes and cities, helps things take off, speeds things up, keeps us warm and even helps plants grow.

Without energy, nothing would move. Nothing would change.

In science, we often talk about two main types of energy:
Kinetic energy and potential energy.

Kinetic energy is the energy of movement. Like the energy of a speeding train or skateboarder shredding on a ramp.

But what about something that’s not moving yet—but could move due to its position, or condition?

That’s potential energy.

And one important kind of potential energy is called gravitational potential energy.

We’re talking about a wingsuit pilot standing at the edge of a cliff,
a cyclist reaching the top of a steep hill, or a rock perched on the edge of a mountain.

Each of these things has gravitational potential energy—not because they’re moving, but because they have the potential to move due to their position and the force of gravity.

Gravitational potential energy stays stored until something sets the object in motion—then it can transform into kinetic energy as gravity pulls it down.

Think about the wingsuit pilot. As they leap from the cliff, gravity takes over—pulling them downward and instantly converting their potential energy into kinetic energy as they glide and pick up speed through the air.

Or the cyclist. After reaching the top of the hill, gravity pulls them into their descent, turning all that stored energy into fast, thrilling motion as they race downhill.

And that rock on the edge of the mountain? If it gets dislodged, gravity is what pulls it down. It tumbles and bounces, gaining speed as its potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy with every roll.

That’s gravitational potential energy in action—stored when something is held up high, released when gravity takes over, and transformed into movement and speed.