NCEA Level 3 Physics – Mechanics Practice Exam 2025 - Free NCEA Physics Practice Questions and Study Guide

The energy stored in an object due to its height or configuration is specifically known as potential energy. When an object is elevated to a certain height in a gravitational field, it has gravitational potential energy, which can be calculated using the formula \( PE = mgh \), where \( m \) is the mass, \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity, and \( h \) is the height above a reference point.

This form of energy is critical in understanding various physical phenomena, such as why an object falls when released or how energy is conserved in mechanical systems. In a broader sense, potential energy can also refer to energy stored due to the configuration of an object, such as in a compressed spring (elastic potential energy). Overall, potential energy plays a key role in mechanics, helping to explain energy transfer and transformations in physical processes.

Kinetic energy, on the other hand, is related to the motion of an object, while thermal energy is associated with the temperature and the movement of atoms and molecules. Electrical energy pertains to the energy carried by electric charges. Thus, these other forms of energy do not directly relate to the potential energy stored due to an object's height or configuration.