Potential Energy
Gravitational potential energy (GPE)
If you lift a book up onto a shelf you have to do work against the force of gravity. The book has gained gravitational potential energy. Any object that is raised against the force of gravity has an increase in its gravitational potential energy.
You should know and be able to use, the relationship between change in gravitational potential energy, weight and change in height.
This equation shows the relationship between gravitational potential energy (joule, J), weight (Newton, N) and change in height (metre, m):
change in GPE = weight x change in height