What is potential energy

Potential energy is energy that is stored – or conserved - in an object or substance. This stored energy is based on the position, arrangement or state of the object or substance. You can think of it as energy that has the 'potential' to do work.

Potential energy is the energy possessed by a body by virtue of its position relative to others.

Explanation:

potential energy can also be defined as the energy that is stored in an object due to it's position relative to some zero position

it doesn't. it was imagined up in the middle ages.