Final answer:
Gravitational potential energy is the energy an object possesses due to its position above the ground, calculated with the formula PE = mgh, where m is mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of potential energy that depends on height is called gravitational potential energy. When an object is raised against the pull of gravity, work is performed, resulting in an increase in potential energy. This energy is calculated using the formula PE = mgh, where m is the mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height the object is raised. For example, if you lift a car to the top of a parking garage, you are increasing its gravitational potential energy regardless of how the car is moved there.
Considering an object's potential energy available when a body of water is trapped behind a dam, it can be computed similarly. The gravitational potential energy is half the product of the mass, acceleration due to gravity, and the average height (mgh/2), since the height of the water smoothly transitions from h to zero as it drains out. Volume is the product of the area A of the captured water surface and the initial water height h, and the mass is the product of the density p and the volume.
In essence, objects have potential energy due to their position relative to other objects with mass, and the gravitational force provides a way to release this energy, as seen when an object is allowed to fall back to the ground, converting potential energy to kinetic energy.