Potential energy is a type of energy associated with the position, configuration, or state of an object. It is the energy that a system possesses by virtue of its position or configuration relative to other systems, or by virtue of its physical state.
There are different types of potential energy, depending on the type of force or interaction that gives rise to it. For example:
- Gravitational potential energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its position in a gravitational field. It depends on the height of the object above a reference level and the strength of the gravitational field.
- Electric potential energy is the energy that a system of charged particles possesses by virtue of their positions relative to one another. It depends on the charges and distances between them.
- Elastic potential energy is the energy stored by a springy object when it is deformed or compressed. It depends on the stiffness and amount of deformation.
Potential energy can be converted into other forms of energy, such as kinetic energy, when the system undergoes a change. For example, a ball sitting on a shelf has gravitational potential energy due to its height above the ground. When it is dropped, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as the ball accelerates towards the ground.