Potential energy is best described as energy stored due to position.

• A. Energy stored due to movement
• B. Stored energy due to position
• C. Energy dissipated as heat
• D. Energy of motion

Answer: (B)

Potential energy is energy stored because of where something is or how it’s configured within a force field. It exists because, if the position changes, there is the potential to do work. For gravitational potential energy, raising an object increases mgh, so the energy is stored until the object moves again. For elastic potential energy, a stretched or compressed spring stores energy equal to 1/2 k x^2, waiting to be released as the spring returns to its resting length. This is different from energy of motion, which is kinetic energy—the energy an object has because it’s moving. It’s also different from energy that's dissipated as heat, which is energy that has already been transformed into thermal energy in the surroundings rather than kept ready to do work later. So describing it as stored energy due to position best captures what potential energy is and how it’s used.