AP Physics C: Mechanics
4.4 Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
4.3 Conservation of Linear Momentum

Three different canister designs are evaluated, each using an identical spring mechanism with the same initial stored energy \(U_0\):
Design I: The canister has mass \(m_1 = \dfrac{1}{4}M\), leaving a capsule of mass \(\dfrac{3}{4}M\).
Design II: The canister has mass \(m_2 = \dfrac{1}{2}M\), leaving a capsule of mass \(\dfrac{1}{2}M\).
Design III: The canister has mass \(m_3 = \dfrac{3}{4}M\), leaving a capsule of mass \(\dfrac{1}{4}M\).
Which of the following correctly ranks the final kinetic energy of the main capsule, \(K_1\), \(K_2\), and \(K_3\), in the original reference frame after separation for the three designs?
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