Understanding the Concepts

* Free Fall: An object in free fall experiences only the force of gravity.

* Acceleration due to Gravity: The acceleration due to gravity (g) is approximately 9.8 m/s². This means an object in free fall increases its speed by 9.8 meters per second every second.

* Kinematic Equations: We can use the following kinematic equation to relate distance, initial velocity, final velocity, and acceleration:

* v² = u² + 2as

Where:

* v = final velocity

* u = initial velocity

* a = acceleration

* s = distance

Solving the Problem

1. Identify the knowns:

* v = 4 m/s (final velocity)

* u = 0 m/s (initial velocity, since the object was dropped)

* a = 9.8 m/s² (acceleration due to gravity)

2. Rearrange the equation to solve for s (distance):

* s = (v² - u²) / 2a

3. Substitute the values and calculate:

* s = (4² - 0²) / (2 * 9.8)

* s = 16 / 19.6

* s ≈ 0.82 meters

Therefore, the object fell approximately 0.82 meters.