The process for measuring elevation as a percentage is the same as finding elevation change as a decimal, with one extra step. As an example, let’s say the rise is 2 and the run is 6. As a DecimalĪn easy-to-remember equation for finding change in elevation as a decimal is “rise over run,” meaning the rise (the change in vertical distance) divided by the run (the change in horizontal distance). 'Distance traveled' is the distance traversed between the starting and ending points, not necessarily the 'run' distance.īe sure all your units are the same throughout. Keep in mind the distance traveled is not the same as the “run” (covered in the next section). Depending on the method used to finding elevation grade, it can be expressed in different ways like decimal, percentage and degree.īefore you figure out elevation grade, elevations must be taken from the starting and ending points for comparison, as well as the starting and ending distances. Grade is also commonly called incline or rise. In other words, how to find elevation grade is an important skill in many areas.
Applications of grade include physical features like hills, riverbanks and canyons and construction aspects such as roads, roof pitch and landscaping. Grade of an object’s physical feature, a landform or a line (plane) is used to indicate the slope of the thing being measured.
