Final answer:
The horizontal component of velocity is approximately 5.81 m/s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The horizontal component of velocity refers to the speed of an object in the horizontal direction. In this case, the baseball player hits the ball at an angle of 42˚ above the horizontal with a velocity of 8 m/s. To find the horizontal component of velocity, we can use trigonometry.
We can use the formula:
horizontal velocity = velocity * cos(angle)
So, the horizontal component of velocity is:
horizontal velocity = 8 m/s * cos(42˚) ≈ 5.81 m/s.