Most people have problems with this experiment because they do not square the time, as the equation says that you must. If your rooms are like most people’s rooms, you should have gotten a time of 0.60 to 0.80 seconds. Let’s suppose you got 0.70 seconds.

distance = (1/2) x (acceleration) x (time)²

distance = (1/2) x (9.8 m/sec²) x (0.70 sec)²

since 0.70² = 0.49:

distance = (1/2) x (9.8 m/sec²) x (0.49 sec²)

distance = 2.4 m, which is just under 8 feet.