Energy is the ability to do work or cause change. There are basically two main types of energy, kinetic and potential. Potential energy is energy that is stored. There are various types of stored, or potential energy. Chemical energy from a battery is a potential form of energy, elastic energy in a stretched rubber band is a form of potential energy, but the most commonly referred to form of potential energy in physics is that of gravitational potential energy. This is energy that is stored due to an object's position. It is dependent on the mass of the object, the height of the object above the ground or Earth, and the acceleration due to gravity.