Answer:
(a)
Distance from player should be 13.82 feet or 36.2 feet
(b)
The ball will go over the net
Explanation:
we are given
The ball follows a path given by the equation

where
x and y are measured in feet and the origin is on the court directly below where the player hits the ball
(a)
net height is 8 ft
so, we can set y=8
and then we can solve for x





we can use quadratic formula




So, distance from player should be 13.82 feet or 36.2 feet
(b)
we can plug x=30 and check whether y=8 ft


we know that
height of net is 8 ft
so, the ball will go over the net