Final answer:
The road with a 7% grade has a slope of 0.07, and the sidewalk with a pitch of 1 in 8 has a slope of 0.125. The sidewalk is steeper since 0.125 is greater than 0.07.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the slope of each surface, we will convert each description to its slope form, which is the rise over run. A road with a 7% grade means that for every 100 horizontal units, the road rises 7 vertical units, so the slope is 7/100. On the other hand, a sidewalk with a pitch of 1 in 8 means that for every 8 horizontal units, the sidewalk rises 1 vertical unit, so the slope is 1/8 or 12.5/100.
Comparing the two, the slope of the road is 0.07 (since 7/100 = 0.07), and the slope of the sidewalk is 0.125 (since 12.5/100 = 0.125). Therefore, the sidewalk is steeper than the road because 0.125 > 0.07.