Energy stored by an object's height above Earth's surface is called?

Energy stored by an object's height above Earth's surface is called?

• A. Chemical potential energy
• B. Kinetic energy
• C. Gravitational potential energy
• D. Mechanical energy

Answer: (C)

Energy stored by height above Earth’s surface is gravitational potential energy. This energy arises because lifting an object against gravity gives it the ability to do work as it moves back down—the higher the object, the more work was required and the more gravitational potential energy it has. In the Earth’s gravitational field, the approximate relationship is PE ≈ mgh near the surface, so it grows with the object's mass, the strength of gravity, and its height. This is different from chemical potential energy, which is stored in the arrangement of atoms and bonds; different from kinetic energy, which is energy due to motion; and distinct from mechanical energy, which is the total of kinetic and potential energies in a system.

Energy stored by height above Earth’s surface is gravitational potential energy. This energy arises because lifting an object against gravity gives it the ability to do work as it moves back down—the higher the object, the more work was required and the more gravitational potential energy it has. In the Earth’s gravitational field, the approximate relationship is PE ≈ mgh near the surface, so it grows with the object's mass, the strength of gravity, and its height. This is different from chemical potential energy, which is stored in the arrangement of atoms and bonds; different from kinetic energy, which is energy due to motion; and distinct from mechanical energy, which is the total of kinetic and potential energies in a system.