Question

Consider a jet on the deck of an aircraft carrier. In order to take off, a catapult is attached to the jet and it is flung off the deck. An F-18 has a gross weight of approximately 17,000 kg and must reach speeds of about 270 km/hr by the end of the 150 m deck. The catapults on aircraft carriers must be able to launch a variety of aircraft that have different masses and minimum airspeeds for a flight! How would you ensure that you provide enough energy to the aircraft to get it safely off the deck of the aircraft carrier?

Answer 1

Answer:

E = 47812500 [J]

Explanation:

We can solve this problem first by applying the principle of energy conservation and then the work theorem.

We have the following initial data.

m = mass = 17000 [kg]

v = velocity = 270 [km/h] = 75 [m/s]

d = distance = 150 [m]

Therefore the kinetic energy will be:

$E_{k}=0.5*m*v^2\\E_{k}= 0.5*17000*(75)^2\\E_{k}=47812500[J]$

This is the necessary energy that the catapult would need.

Then we can calculate the necessary force of the catapult by means of the working theorem

W = F * d

F =W / d

F = 47812500 / 150

F = 318750 [N]