To find the height of the ball after 7.5 seconds, we need to evaluate the function \( h(s) = -s^2 + 10s + 3 \) at \( s = 7.5 \).
Let's calculate \( h(7.5) \):
\[ h(7.5) = -(7.5)^2 + 10(7.5) + 3 \]
Calculating \( (7.5)^2 \):
\[ (7.5)^2 = 56.25 \]
Now substituting this back into the function:
\[ h(7.5) = -56.25 + 10(7.5) + 3 \]
Calculating \( 10(7.5) \):
\[ 10(7.5) = 75 \]
Now substituting that into the function:
\[ h(7.5) = -56.25 + 75 + 3 \]
Calculating \( -56.25 + 75 \):
\[ -56.25 + 75 = 18.75 \]
Now adding 3:
\[ h(7.5) = 18.75 + 3 = 21.75 \]
So, the height of the ball after 7.5 seconds is \( 21.75 \).
Thus, the answer is:
21.75