[mathking]

b_mallerd's admonition is on target. It is why I mentioned not worrying about calculating drag because of all the other sources of variation. It is quite profitable to do the basic computations first, however. You want to find the boundary conditions for values such as release angle and motor speed so you know where to start your testing.

You should find things like the minimum angle required to even get the ball up to the center goal. If you are using a spinning wheel launcher you should figure out the minimum number of revolutions per minute to get the velocity you want. Computing these can also make your life much easier when it comes to testing because you will be able to be much more systematic.