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Originally Posted by Jon K.
From what I have been told wouldn't spin on the ball effect the distance the ball where to travel?
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Jon got it right. The problem with the simple "height, angle, distance" method is that it is a very basic analysis of the actual flight dynamics of the ball that does not account for several (legal) variables that can significantly affect the distance traveled. For example, the distance guideline given in the manual is based on the initital constraint of no spin on the ball when it exits the robot. During some experimentation, we found that putting a serious backspin on the ball - while keeping all other performance parameters the same, including the 12m/s exit speed - could increase the distance traveled by up to 30%. If FIRST were to rely on just the "height, angle, distance" analysis, they would incorrectly classify a shooter that put a lot of backspin on a ball, and thereby got increased range, as an illegal solution.
-dave