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    Calculating Slope From Gradient: Caes Department of Geography

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    Tumi Tumi
    Gradient is a ratio that expresses the steepness between two points as a ratio of vertical distance to horizontal distance. It can be calculated by taking the vertical interval (VI) and dividing by the horizontal equivalent (HE). For example, a gradient of 1:15 means that for every 15 meters traveled horizontally, there is a 1 meter change in elevation. The angle of slope can also be derived from the gradient by taking the tangent of the gradient expressed as a decimal.

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    Calculating Slope From Gradient: Caes Department of Geography

    Uploaded by

    Tumi Tumi
    192 views8 pages
    Gradient is a ratio that expresses the steepness between two points as a ratio of vertical distance to horizontal distance. It can be calculated by taking the vertical interval (VI) and dividing by the horizontal equivalent (HE). For example, a gradient of 1:15 means that for every 15 meters traveled horizontally, there is a 1 meter change in elevation. The angle of slope can also be derived from the gradient by taking the tangent of the gradient expressed as a decimal.

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    Gradient is a ratio that expresses the steepness between two points as a ratio of vertical distance to horizontal distance. It can be calculated by taking the vertical interval (VI) and dividing by the horizontal equivalent (HE). For example, a gradient of 1:15 means that for every 15 meters traveled horizontally, there is a 1 meter change in elevation. The angle of slope can also be derived from the gradient by taking the tangent of the gradient expressed as a decimal.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    192 views8 pages

    Calculating Slope From Gradient: Caes Department of Geography

    Uploaded by

    Tumi Tumi
    Gradient is a ratio that expresses the steepness between two points as a ratio of vertical distance to horizontal distance. It can be calculated by taking the vertical interval (VI) and dividing by the horizontal equivalent (HE). For example, a gradient of 1:15 means that for every 15 meters traveled horizontally, there is a 1 meter change in elevation. The angle of slope can also be derived from the gradient by taking the tangent of the gradient expressed as a decimal.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 8

    Calculating slope from gradient

    CAES
    Department of Geography
    Calculating gradient
    • Gradient is the steepness between two points
    expressed as a proportion or ratio between the
    vertical interval and its horizontal equivalent.
    • Horizontal equivalent (the straight line distance
    between the two points between which the
    gradient is being calculated) = HE
    • Vertical interval (the difference between the two
    points’ height above sea-level = VI)
    Graphic representation
    Point A

    VI

    Point B

    HE
    What do you want to derive?
    • Gradient is the vertical rate of change as
    one moves horizontally across the surface
    of the earth.
    • Thus a gradient of 1:20 is expressed as: for
    every 20 meters you travel across the
    surface of the earth you either ascend or
    descend by 1 meter.
    Gradient: Calculation
    Gradient = VI:HE
    VI = 100
    HE = 1500
    Thus: 100:1500
    VI needs to be one thus it is divided by its self but what we do on the one
    side of the equation we need to do on the other.

    Thus: 100/100 : 1500/100


    = 1:15

    This expressed is: for every 15 meters travelled horizontally you ascend or
    descend by one meter.
    The angle of slope
    • Slope is the rise or fall between two points
    expressed as an angle.
    • In different terms, we could say that it is the
    angle at which the earth's surface slopes,
    expressed in degrees.
    Slope: Calculation
    • The tangent of the angle of slope is the same as
    the gradient expressed as a decimal.
    • Thus following from the previous example:
    • Gradient: 1:15; expressed as decimal:
    • 1/15 = 0,06666
    • On a scientific calculator press the tan-1 function
    and then enter the decimal value calculated from
    the gradient.
    • Calculating a value of: 3.81
    Slope: Calculation
    • 3.81 degrees needs to be expressed in degrees,
    minutes and seconds
    • Thus: 0.81 x 60 (because there are 60 min in a
    degree) = 48; 0,6 x 60 (because there are 60 min in
    a minute) = 36
    • Slope: 3 Degrees 48 Minutes 36 Seconds

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