The function that describes the height of the ball as a function of time t (in seconds) can be represented as:
h(t) = -16t^2 + 64t + 40
Where h(t) is the height of the ball in feet above the ground, t is the time in seconds, and the -16t^2 represents the acceleration due to gravity. The 64t represents the initial velocity of the ball, and 40 is the initial height of the ball above the ground.