What type of energy is stored due to position, such as a raised object?

• A. Kinetic energy
• B. Potential energy
• C. Thermal energy
• D. Chemical energy

Answer: (B)

Energy stored due to position is called potential energy, with the gravitational kind applying when something is raised. The higher an object is, the more gravitational potential energy it has because gravity could do more work on it if it were allowed to fall. This energy depends on mass and height (and gravity) and can be calculated roughly as mgh. When you let the object go, that stored energy can transform into kinetic energy—the energy of motion. This differs from kinetic energy, which comes from motion itself; thermal energy, which relates to temperature and particle motion inside a substance; and chemical energy, stored in chemical bonds.