When landing after a spectacular somersault, a 40.0-kg gymnast decelerates by pushing straight down on the mat. Calculate the force she must exert if her deceleration is 7.00 times the acceleration due to gravity. Explicitly show how you follow the steps in the Problem-Solving Strategy for Newton’s laws of motion.

Ibelieve the answer is d. densityhope my answer has you : )

I'm having some difficulty seeing the diagram clearly.but the question says there's a net inward force on the object.so we know right away,  from newton's 2nd law of motion, thatthat baby is accelerating.  it doesn't even matter which way thenet force is pointing.  if there's any net force, then either theobject's speed or else its direction must be changing.