What is the statement about potential energy?

Potential energy is defined as the energy that is stored in an object due to its position or configuration. This energy has the potential to be converted into kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion. A classic example of potential energy is a rock that is positioned at a height; the energy is stored because of the rock's elevated position relative to the ground, and if it were to fall, that potential energy would be converted into kinetic energy as it accelerates downward.

The concept of potential energy relates closely to gravitational potential energy, which depends on an object's height and mass. Other forms of potential energy, such as elastic potential energy, exist in objects that can stretch or compress (like springs). Understanding this energy type is crucial in physics because it helps explain how energy is conserved and transformed in various systems.

The other choices relate to different forms or types of energy. For instance, energy of motion refers specifically to kinetic energy, thermal energy pertains to the energy associated with the temperature of an object or substance, and energy stored in chemical bonds relates to chemical potential energy. Each of these forms of energy plays a role in the broader study of physical science, but they do not define what potential energy is.