A plane weighing 245 kN (27.5 tons) lands on an aircraft carrier. The plane is moving horizontally at 60.7 m/s (136 mi/h) when its tailhook grabs hold of the arresting cables. The cables bring the plane to a stop in a distance of 87.8 m. How much work is done on the plane by the arresting cables? (Both answers, part a and part b, will be underestimates, since the plane lands with the engines full throttle forward; in case the tailhook fails to grab hold of the cables, the pilot must be ready for immediate takeoff.)
What is the force (assumed constant) exerted on the plane by the cables?