A group of students prepare for a robotic competition and build a robot that can launch large spheres of mass M in the horizontal direction with variable speed and from a variable vertical position and a fixed horizontal position x=0.
The robot is calibrated by adjusting the speed at which the sphere is launched and the height of the robot’s sphere launcher. Depending on where the spheres land on the ground, students earn points based on the accuracy of the robot. The robot is calibrated so that when the spheres are launched from a vertical position y=H and speed v0, they consistently land on the ground on a target that is at a position x=D. Positive directions for vector quantities are indicated in the figure.
When the students arrive at the competition, it is determined that the height of the sphere launcher can no longer be adjusted due to a mechanical malfunction. Therefore, the spheres must be launched at a vertical position of y=H2. However, the spheres may be launched at speed v0 or 2v0.
Question: In a clear response that may also contain diagrams and/or equations, describe which speed, v0 or 2v0, the students should launch the sphere at so that they earn the maximum number of points in the competition.
