Question

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?

Answer 1

`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.