Potential Energy Calculator
Gravitational: m × g × h • Elastic: ½ × k × x²
Settings
Choose the formula you want to use.
Enter Values
Mass must be 0 or greater.
Height may be negative if your reference level is below zero.
m/s²
Custom gravity must be greater than 0.
Spring constant must be 0 or greater.
Displacement may be negative. Energy stays non-negative because displacement is squared.
Results appear only after clicking Calculate. Changing a unit resets only that field to 0 and focuses it for quick re-entry.
Action
Results
Energy
0 J
Energy
0 kJ
Energy
0 Wh
Energy
0 kWh
Energy
0 ft·lbf
Use this Potential Energy Calculator to calculate gravitational potential energy or elastic potential energy stored in a spring.
Calculation Methods
Gravitational potential energy:
PE = m × g × h
Where m is mass, g is gravitational acceleration, and h is height relative to a chosen reference level.
Elastic potential energy:
PE = ½ × k × x²
Where k is the spring constant and x is the spring displacement from its unstretched position.
Example
For a 5 kg object raised 3 meters using g = 9.80665 m/s²:
PE = 5 × 9.80665 × 3
PE ≈ 147.1 J
Important Note
The mgh formula assumes an approximately uniform gravitational field over the height involved. The elastic formula assumes an ideal spring that follows Hooke’s law within its elastic range.