Heavier objects hit harder when they fall, and this experiment shows why. You drop objects of different weights onto a flat empty can and compare the dents each one leaves. A heavier object makes a bigger dent because gravity pulls it down with more force. The stored energy — called potential energy — depends on both weight and height, and the dent records how much was released on impact.

Stored energy from position depends on both weight and height. When you drop objects of different weights onto a flat can, the heavier ones make bigger dents — they hold more stored energy from the same height. Rolling marbles down ramps shows the same pattern: raise the ramp and the marble hits harder on impact. More height means more stored energy released when the object falls. These hands-on activities confirm that both weight and height affect how much energy an object holds before it moves.