A student drops an object from the top of a building which is 19.6 m high. How long does it take the object to fall to the ground?

Here's a formula that's simple and useful, and if you're really in

high school physics, I'd be surprised if you haven't see it before.

This one is so simple and useful that I'd suggest memorizing it,

so it's always in your toolbox.

This formula tells how far an object travels in how much time,

when it's accelerating:

Distance = (1/2 acceleration) x (Time²).

D = 1/2 A T²

For your student who dropped an object out of the window,

Distance = 19.6 m

Acceleration = gravity = 9.8 m/s²

D = 1/2 G T²

19.6 = 4.9 T²

Divide each side by 4.9 : 4 = T²

Square root each side: 2 = T

When an object is dropped in Earth gravity,

it takes 2 seconds to fall the first 19.6 meters.

Earth's gravity is 9.807 m/s²

Using this we can divide 19.6/9.807 to get 1.999 seconds or two if you round.