Road Grade

[nycmathguy]

Section 1.3
Question 89

You are driving on a road that has a
6% uphill grade. This means that the slope of the road is 6/100. Approximate the amount of vertical change in your position when you drive 200 feet.

1. Can you set this up for me?
2. Must I use rise/run here?
3. Can trigonometry be used to approximate the amount of vertical change?

 

[MathLover1]

an equation using the given slope is

y=(6/100)x.......simplify
y=(3/50)x

for x=200
y=(3/50)200
y=12->the amount of vertical change in your position when you drive 200 feet

 

[nycmathguy]

an equation using the given slope is

y=(6/100)x.......simplify
y=(3/50)x

for x=200
y=(3/50)200
y=12->the amount of vertical change in your position when you drive 200 feet

Sorry but what exactly does "y=12->the amount of vertical change in your position" really mean? There are two more threads unanswered. You don't need to answer tonight.

 

[MathLover1]

the amount of vertical change in your position means the change in y value as you go further from starting point (which is origin on that graph)
imagine a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building, the amount of vertical change in your position will be a height between 1st and 2nd floor

 

[nycmathguy]

the amount of vertical change in your position means the change in y value as you go further from starting point (which is origin on that graph)
imagine a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building, the amount of vertical change in your position will be a height between 1st and 2nd floor

I see.