(a) The initial direction of the ball is horizontal.
(b) The time of flight of the ball is 0.65 s.
The initial direction of the ball is horizontal since the player catches the ball at the same level which implies that the speed of the of the ball was constant through out the motion.
The time of flight of the ball is calculated using the following kinematic equation.
[tex]t = \frac{X}{v_x} \\\\t= \frac{4.6}{7.1} \\\\t = 0.65 \ s[/tex]
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