Final answer:
Lifting an object to a greater height increases its gravitational potential energy. The potential energy is calculated as the product of the object's mass, gravitational acceleration, and height. Tripling the height triples the potential energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an object is lifted higher off the ground, it gains gravitational potential energy proportional to its height above the ground. This potential energy (PE) depends on the mass of the object (m), the acceleration due to gravity (g), and the height (h) above the ground. For the given 1360 kg automobile, the potential energy can be calculated using the equation PE = mgh. If we know the car gains a certain amount of potential energy at a height of 12 meters, lifting it to 36 meters, or three times that height, will result in three times the potential energy. To demonstrate, let's say the car is lifted to 36.6 m, the potential energy will be PE = 1360 kg × 9.81 m/s² × 36.6 m.