What is a medium? in relation to physical science

Acrow drops a 0.11kg clam onto a rocky beach from a height of 9.8m. what is the kinetic energy of the clam when it is 5.0m above the ground? what is its speed at that point?

Astone weighing 1.5 kilograms is resting on a rock at a height of 20 meters above the ground. the stone rolls down 10 meters and comes to rest on a patch of moss. the gravitational potential energy of the stone on the moss is joules.

Why is the energy that results from a roller coaster's position at the top of a hill referred to as potential energy?