Potential Energy Science Games

In this series of games, your students will learn about the different types of stored or potential energy. The Potential Energy learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demonstrated by research.

Scroll down for a preview of this learning objective’s games and the concepts they drive home.

Concepts Covered

Energy is the ability to do work, which can cause a change in motion. Stored energy is called potential energy, and it is the result of an object’s shape or position in a system. As objects move, their potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, the energy of motion.

Gravitational potential energy (*GPE*) depends on an object’s position relative to another mass, usually meaning its height above the ground. The equation for gravitational potential energy is *GPE = mgh*, where *m* is the object’s mass, *g* is the gravitational acceleration, and *h* is the height off the ground.

Elastic potential energy is energy stored in an elastic material (like a spring or rubber band) when it is stretched or compressed. An object’s elastic potential energy depends on how much it is stretched or compressed, and how elastic, or springy, it is.

There are many other types of potential energy. Chemical potential energy is stored in chemical bonds. Magnetic potential energy depends on a magnet’s position relative to another magnet. Electrical potential energy depends on a charged particle’s position relative to another charged particle.

A preview of each game in the learning objective is found below.

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