Potential Energy

Real World Example

Imagine you're holding a mug of coffee, balancing it carefully as you walk across a room. Just like the mug poised in your hand, ready to spill with the slightest misstep, potential energy is all about the stored energy an object has due to its position or condition—like a ball perched on a hill or a spring coiled tight. The mug's potential to spill mirrors the ball's potential to roll down the hill or the spring's potential to uncoil, as both scenarios involve energy waiting to be released.