Truckers (or engineers): What is the percentage of a grade based on?

Question

In other words, if a grade is 6%, what is it 6% of?  If someone told me something was inclined at a 45 degree angle, I would have a frame of reference - degrees of arc or an angle.  But I have no idea what grade means.  (I mean, practically I know we are talking about incline, I would just like to know what the math is.)  Thanks!

Dennis F · Accepted Answer

You mention 45 deg angle.  You know The tangent of 45 degrees is height over length ( Y over X).  The tangent of 45 degrees is , you guessed it = 1.

So if you have a 45 degree slope and the "X" is 100, then the "Y" = 100

And therefore you have 100 over 100 = 1 times 100% = 100 % grade

Wa la !!!!!!!!!!

Irv S · Answer

'Percent', (out of 100) should give you a clue.
It's feet of rise per hundred feet.

Truckers (or engineers): What is the percentage of a grade based on?

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