---
title: "Kinetic and Gravitational Potential Stores"
description: "Two energy stores get equations: half times mass times speed squared for movement, and mass times gravitational field strength times height for position. Falls, ramps and swings are then tracked as en"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/kinetic-and-gravitational-potential-stores-mt_uD3jklaZCw
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/kinetic-and-gravitational-potential-stores-mt_uD3jklaZCw.md
retrieved: 2026-09-12
---

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# Kinetic and Gravitational Potential Stores

Two energy stores get equations: half times mass times speed squared for movement, and mass times gravitational field strength times height for position. Falls, ramps and swings are then tracked as energy moving between the two.

Subject: Science · Area: Energy · Ages 15 to 16
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/kinetic-and-gravitational-potential-stores-mt_uD3jklaZCw

## Ready when they can

- Calculates the kinetic store of a moving object and the gravitational store of a raised one
- Equates the two stores to find a landing speed or a rise height
- Explains why doubling the speed makes the kinetic store four times larger

## Lesson: Swapping height for speed

Movement carries kinetic energy for you: half times mass times speed squared, in joules. The squaring is the surprise: doubling the speed makes the store four times larger. A car at 60 mph holds four times the motion energy it has at 30.

Lifted objects hold gravitational potential: mass times g times height, with g = 10 N/kg. A 0.2 kg ball at 1.8 m stores 0.2 times 10 times 1.8 = 3.6 J. Only the height change matters, so pick a zero level and stay with it.

**Example.** A falling ball swaps one store for the other, joule for joule, ignoring air resistance. The 0.2 kg ball lands with 3.6 J of kinetic energy: half times 0.2 times v squared = 3.6 gives v squared = 36, so v = 6 m/s. Set the loss equal to the gain and the mass cancels out.

**Tip.** Read the question for which swap it wants: falling asks for landing speed, launching asks for rise height. Write both stores first, then equate them. Speed is squared, so small speed slips cost big energy errors.

**Recap.** Half m v squared for motion, m g h for height, and falls swap one for the other.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Energy stores and transfers](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/energy-stores-and-transfers-mt_Jvg_r4yWaY)
- [Calculating Work Done and Power](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/calculating-work-done-and-power-mt_udulQxseg1)

## Opens up

- [Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion, Damping and Resonance](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/energy-in-simple-harmonic-motion-damping-and-resonance-mt_3sh7E7k7j2)
- [Elastic and Inelastic Collisions](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/elastic-and-inelastic-collisions-mt_JMwUuh1YUq)
- [Internal Energy, Absolute Zero and the Kelvin Scale](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/internal-energy-absolute-zero-and-the-kelvin-scale-mt_n4Ku8ZDy1U)
- [Stopping Distances and Braking Energy](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/stopping-distances-and-braking-energy-mt_nRNZS4jHoj)