Question

Give any two examples of situations where objects have potential energy.

Answer 1

1. Potential energy: It is the energy that is possessed by a body by virtue of its height or position or change in shape.

Gravitational potential energy, $P.E=mgh$

Examples: i) A vehicle parked at the top of a hill possesses large potential energy compared to the vehicle parked on the ground. This causes great tension in the object which leads to damage when falls down.

ii) Water at the top of a waterfall possesses greater potential energy than the river flowing at ground level. In order to reduce the energy, water readily falls onto the ground.