Understanding the Concepts

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

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

* Initial Velocity (v₀): In this case, the object is dropped, so its initial velocity is 0 m/s.

Calculations

1. Time (t): The object falls for 2 seconds (t = 2 s).

2. Acceleration (a): The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s² (a = 9.8 m/s²).

3. Final Velocity (v): We can use the following equation to find the final velocity:

v = v₀ + at

Substituting the values:

v = 0 + (9.8 m/s²)(2 s)

v = 19.6 m/s

Answer:

The object's speed after falling for 2 seconds is 19.6 m/s.