A wheelchair ramp at a certain campus is designed so that every vertical rise of 1 foot is accompanied by a horizontal run of 13 feet. What is the gradiant of such a ramp?

1 Answer
Tony B
Mar 1, 2017

#1/13#

Explanation:

Gradient #->("change in up or down")/("change in along reading left to right") #

Change downward gives a negative gradient.
Change upwards gives a positive gradient.

Vertical rise is upward so we have a positive gradient

#("change in up")/("change in along")" "->" "1/13#

As 13 is a prime number you get a continuous decimal if you do the division. This decimal is one of those that never stops. Thus writing the solution as a decimal is not precise. Whilst #1/13# is precise.

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