Only vertical component of the velocity is relevant to this problem. The equation describing the height of the ball above the ground in this problem is= , or (which is the same) = . (1) Here t is the time the volleyball is in the air, and in the right side is the ground level. Solve this quadratic equation for t, and choose an appropriate root. Now a bit more explanation. If the object is thrown vertically with the initial vertical velocity "v" from the initial height , its height h(t) is a quadratic function h(t) = . (2) It will hit the ground when h(t) = 0. Here "g" is the gravity acceleration, also known as "free fall acceleration" The value for g is about 9.81 near the Earth surface. Based on this info, the equations (1) and (2) above are written. Now solve the quadratic equation (1) and get your answer. What I explained to you, is part of Physics. In this compact form it is necessary information for solving this kind of problems in Algebra.
Figure. Plot h(t) = |