The most common use of gravitational potential is for an object near the surface of the Earth where the gravitational acceleration can be assumed to be constant at about 9.8m/s². The formula for Gravitational Potential Energy is: PE= weight x height=mgh (more general form). Since the zero of gravitational potential energy can be chosen at any point, the potential energy at a height (h) above that point is equal to the work which would be required to lift the object to that height with no net change in kinetic energy. Since the force required to lift is equal to its weight, it follows the gravitational potential energy which equals to its weight times the height to which it is lifted.
Example:
The water receives energy as it falls down the short waterfall. This energy was stored as potential energy in the gravitational field of the Earth and came out of storage as the water dropped. This energy which came out of the gravitational field ended up being expressed as the kinetic energy of the water. That is, the water gains kinetic energy as it drops. An ounce of water is going faster when it hits the bottom of the waterfall than it was when it went over the top of the waterfall.
Energy that is stored in the gravitational field is called gravitational potential energy or potential energy due to gravity.
If the object is being lifted at constant velocity, then it is not accelerating, and the net force on it is zero. That came from Newton's first law of motion.
How does my project have gravitational potential energy?
My project has gravitational potential energy with the way the roller coaster is built. The marble I have goes down the ramp and makes a sharp turn, but the turn makes the marble stop a little, causing it to store energy while the marble moves slow, and then when it's going down the off of the rail, it gains speed therefore, the stored energy that was in the marble turned into speed and advance the acceleration of the marble down the roller coaster. That is the kinetic energy that was stored in the marble and then released while coming down the ramp. It is sort of like the waterfall in the example. The more the marble stores kinetic energy, the faster it will get while going down the ramp.
