Grade (slope)

Grade (slope)

The grade (also called slope, incline, gradient, pitch or rise) of a physical feature, topographic landform or constructed element refers to the amount of inclination of that surface to the horizontal. It is a special case of the gradient in calculus where zero indicates gravitational level. A larger number indicates higher or steeper degree of "tilt". Often slope is calculated as a ratio of "rise" to "run", or as a fraction ("rise over run") in which run is the horizontal distance and rise is the vertical distance.

Grade or slope is applied to measuring existing physical features (such as canyon and hillsides, stream and river banks and beds), or in designing and engineering new elements for construction (such as roads, landscape and garden grading, roof pitches, railroads, aqueducts, and pedestrian-handicapped-bicycle circulation routes).