Question

Driving down Bald Mountain in Wyoming, Bobba Dean finds that he descends 1600 feet in elevation by the time he is 2.5 miles (horizontally) away from the high point on the mountain road. Find the slope of his descent rounded to two decimal places. (1 mile =5280 feet). Remember, he is descending so your answer should be a negative number. Express your answer as a decimal rounded to the nearest hundreth.

Answer 1

The slope of the descent is 0.12 rounded to the nearest hundredth

Explanation:

The given parameters are;

The vertical distance of descent of Bobba Dean = 1600 feet

The horizontal distance Bobba Dean has moved from the mountain high point = 2.5 miles

1 mile = 5,280 feet

∴ 2.5 miles = 2.5 × 5,280 feet = 13,200 feet

The slope of the descent = (The change in vertical elevation of Bobba Dean)/(The change in horizontal position from the high point of the mountain, by Bobba dean)

∴ The slope of the descent = (1600 feet descent)/(13,200 feet) = 4/33

The slope of the descent = 4/33 = 0.12 rounded to the nearest hundredth