What energy is possessed by a body due to its position in space?

• A. Kinetic Energy
• B. Density
• C. Volume
• D. Potential Energy

Answer: (D)

Energy tied to where an object is located in a field is potential energy. The position gives the object the ability to do work; lift a mass higher in a gravitational field and its energy increases because it could do more work as it moves downward. Near Earth’s surface, this stored energy is described by U = mgh, showing how it grows with height h. When the object moves, that potential energy can be converted into kinetic energy, the energy of motion. In contrast, density and volume are properties of the material or shape, not energies stored by position, and kinetic energy arises from motion, not position.