The three things that determine gravitational potential energy are the strength of the gravitational field, the mass of the object on which it is acting, and its "altitude" or height of elevation in the field. There are some subtle complexities that also play a part in a complete dynamic picture, but these are the basics. If you were making calculations to design and engineer a roller coaster, these are the things you'd need to know.
Gravitational
Gravitational potential energy depends on the height of an object above a reference point and the mass of the object.
Objects at a height above the ground such as a book on a shelf, a pendulum at its peak, and water in a raised reservoir are examples of stores of gravitational potential energy.
The mass of the object: Gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to the mass of an object. The height of the object: Gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to the height of an object above a reference point, such as the ground. The acceleration due to gravity: Gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to the acceleration due to gravity at the location where the object is situated.
Potential gravitational energy is pretty theoretic, but exists as potential. So a ball sitting on the floor has little to no potential energy as it is as low as possible, but put that ball on a table, its potential energy increases. So the answer is to place things higher, on a surface of a sort. Mass and height
Gravitational
Gravitational Potential energy = -GmM/r , depends on three things; the product of the masses and inversely on the separation between the masses, r and finally the gravitational constant, G.
Gravitational potential energy depends on the height of an object above a reference point and the mass of the object.
Objects at a height above the ground such as a book on a shelf, a pendulum at its peak, and water in a raised reservoir are examples of stores of gravitational potential energy.
The mass of the object: Gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to the mass of an object. The height of the object: Gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to the height of an object above a reference point, such as the ground. The acceleration due to gravity: Gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to the acceleration due to gravity at the location where the object is situated.
Potential gravitational energy is pretty theoretic, but exists as potential. So a ball sitting on the floor has little to no potential energy as it is as low as possible, but put that ball on a table, its potential energy increases. So the answer is to place things higher, on a surface of a sort. Mass and height
Potential energy and internal energy are different things and unrelated - except when a process converts one to the other. In most processes involving gases, the density of the gas is so low that changes in potential energy (which depend on total mass times change in height) are not significant in comparison to changes in the internal energy, so we neglect it in out calculations.
Potential energy is a stored energy due to the gravity and height above the ground. In physics the formula for potential energy is: PE = mgy where m = mass (kg), g = acceleration due to gravity (m/s^2), y = height (m) What if there is no height? Well, by simply letting y = 0 and multiplying 0 to m and g, we get PE = 0. Therefore potential energy does not exist and shows it is only present when the object has a height above the ground.
The medieval war machine the trebuchet uses gravitational potential energy to hurl rocks. Hydroelectric dams use the gravitational potential of water to convert to kinetic energy to drive a turbine and create electricity.
The Earth's gravitational field and gravitational potential energy are really two quite different things. The relationalship is the following: Gravitational potential energy = mass x gravity x height Where gravity is the acceleration due to gravity - near Earth's surface, that's 9.8 meters/second2 - or the equivalent, weight per unit mass (which near Earth's surface is 9.8 newton/kilogram).
The factors that affect an object's gravitational potential energy are its height relative to some reference point, its mass, and the strength of the gravitational field it is in. You didn't say what two things you want to compare.
Just look at the formula: PE = mgh potential energy = mass x gravity x height So, it depends on those three things.