Question

If a portion of a highway has a grade or slope of 8%, and the length of this portion is approximately 5900 feet, what is the change in elevation from the top of the grade to the bottom of the grade in feet

a) 472 feet
b) 590 feet
c) 4720 feet
d) 7080 feet

Answer 1

The change in elevation from the top of the grade to the bottom of the grade is 472 feet.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the change in elevation from the top of the grade to the bottom of the grade, we first need to calculate the vertical rise. The grade or slope is given as 8%, which means that for every 100 units of horizontal distance, the elevation changes by 8 units. So, the vertical rise is 8% of the horizontal distance of 5900 feet.

Vertical rise = 8% x Length of the portion = 0.08 x 5900 = 472 feet

Therefore, the change in elevation from the top of the grade to the bottom of the grade is 472 feet.