Engineering Challenge- Spring Loaded Kicker Edition

[bman]

I find it funny that no one started using actual math until halfway down the second page of the thread......

It's all because of the x^2 value in 1/2Kx^2 which is the energy stored in a spring which in a lossless world translates into kinetic energy of the ball. x^2 will increase the energy much faster than the K will decrease it in any situation. Messing with the equation and substituting in the equation for force of a spring defined by Fs=Kx, we get Pe=1/2(Fs/x)x^2 which = 1/2Fs(x) or in other words, at a constant Fs (stalling a motor) the potential energy stored in a spring is directly proportional to how far you pull it back (x).

Also, stalling motors regularly = bad.