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Mechanical Energy Calculator

Add kinetic and potential energy to get total mechanical energy and check conservation.

About Mechanical Energy Calculator

Without dissipation, mechanical energy is conserved and simply moves between kinetic and potential forms. The maximum height and speed figures are the two extremes of that exchange. Conservation lets you answer questions about the end state of a system without tracking the motion in between, which is why it is the first tool to reach for.

Formula

Mechanical Energy

E = ½ m v² + m g h

conservation
Total mechanical energy is constant without friction or other losses

Worked example

With the default values below, Mechanical Energy Calculator returns Total Mechanical Energy of 2,191.50. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Massminimum 0 kg
10 kg
Velocityminimum 0 m/s
12 m/s
Heightminimum 0 m
15 m
Gravitational accelerationminimum 0.01 m/s2
9.81 m/s2

Results

Total Mechanical Energy
2,191.50 J
Kinetic Energy
720.00 J
Potential Energy
1,471.50 J
Maximum Height if All Energy Became Potential
22.34 m
Maximum Speed if All Energy Became Kinetic
20.94 m/s

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Mechanical Energy
  3. 3Total Mechanical Energy= 2,191.50 J
  4. 4Kinetic Energy= 720.00 J
  5. 5Potential Energy= 1,471.50 J
  6. 6Maximum Height if All Energy Became Potential= 22.34 m
  7. 7Maximum Speed if All Energy Became Kinetic= 20.94 m/s

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Mechanical Energy calculated?

E = ½ m v² + m g h Without dissipation, mechanical energy is conserved and simply moves between kinetic and potential forms. The maximum height and speed figures are the two extremes of that exchange.

Why does Mechanical Energy matter?

Conservation lets you answer questions about the end state of a system without tracking the motion in between, which is why it is the first tool to reach for.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 4 inputs: Mass, Velocity, Height, Gravitational acceleration. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.

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