The experimental probability of an event is calculated by dividing the number of successful outcomes by the total number of trials.
In this case, the number of times the student flipped heads is 42, and the total number of flips is 100.
So, the experimental probability of flipping heads is:
\[ \text{Experimental Probability} = \frac{\text{Number of Heads}}{\text{Total Flips}} = \frac{42}{100} = 0.42 \]
Therefore, the answer is 0.42.