Gravitational Potential Energy

Lab Brief #3

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

The opposite of what you expect is often what happens.

What you'll learn

Lift a mass and you store energy in the gravitational field: Ep = mgh. The store depends only on the vertical height gained, not on the path taken, so carrying a rucksack up a zigzag trail stores the same energy as hauling it straight up.

Key words

gravitational potential energy
Energy stored by raising a mass in a gravitational field, mgh.
vertical height
The straight-up distance gained, regardless of the path travelled.

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: what happens if you double the force?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

tape measure
bathroom scale
stopwatch
staircase

⚠️ Safety first

Use a handrail; do not run up stairs if they are wet or crowded.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "gravitational potential energy" and "vertical height" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Measure the vertical height of a staircase and your own mass, then time yourself walking and running up it. Calculate the energy stored each time and the power developed, and explain why the energy is the same but the power is not.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

A 50 kg student climbs 4 m. Energy stored is about (g = 9.81 N/kg):

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

Gravitational potential energy gained depends on:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🎢 You feel weightless on a roller coaster because you and the seat are falling at the same speed.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Conservation of Energy All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This is why airplanes can fly and why rockets reach space.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): This week, find one thing in your house that turns one kind of energy into another.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”

⚡Share card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

Gravitational Potential Energy

Next Smart Experiment

Share this experiment

Gravitational Potential Energy

Done with science? Try something else

Your Cart (0)