Potential energy is the energy an object possesses due to its position or state. In the context of aircraft design, potential energy is often associated with the aircraft’s altitude above a reference point, such as the Earth’s surface or a specified datum.
- is the potential energy,
- is the mass of the object,
- is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth),
- ℎ is the height above the reference point.