Correct option is D
The correct answer is (d) It is energy stored due to position or condition.
Explanation:
- Potential energy is defined as the energy possessed by an object strictly due to its position, configuration, or state.
- For example, water stored in a dam has gravitational potential energy due to its height (position).
- A stretched rubber band or a compressed spring possesses elastic potential energy due to its changed shape or configuration.
- The formula for gravitational potential energy near the Earth's surface is $PE = mgh$ (mass × gravity × height).
Information Booster:
- Potential energy and kinetic energy together constitute a system's total mechanical energy.
- According to the law of conservation of energy, potential energy can seamlessly transform into kinetic energy when the object is released or drops.
Additional Knowledge:
It cannot be converted into other forms of energy. (Option a)
- This is incorrect. The Law of Conservation of Energy dictates that energy can easily be transformed. For instance, falling water converts potential energy into kinetic energy.
It is only present when an object is moving. (Option b)
- This is false. Energy of motion is specifically called kinetic energy, not potential energy.
It depends on the object's motion. (Option c)
- This is incorrect. Potential energy is entirely independent of motion and depends only on spatial position or structural arrangement.
So the correct answer is (d)