What is the meaning of a gradient represented as 1 in 400?a)A rise of 1m in 400mb)Rise of 400m in 1kmc)A 400% rise in trackd)A 1m rise in 4kmCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?

Question

Answer

Gradient is represented as the distance travelled for a rise or fall of 1 unit distance. 1 in 400 means a rise of 1m is recorded after travelling 400m. 1 in 400 is also represented as 0.25%.

Answer

Gradient Representation

In civil engineering, a gradient is a measure of the steepness of a slope or the rate of change in elevation over a given distance. It is commonly expressed as a ratio or a percentage.

The given gradient represented as 1 in 400 means that for every 1 unit of horizontal distance, there is a rise of 1 unit in vertical distance over a distance of 400 units.

Explanation of the Answer

The correct answer is option 'A', which states that a gradient of 1 in 400 represents a rise of 1m in 400m.

Let's break it down to understand why this is the correct interpretation:

Understanding the Ratio

A gradient ratio is expressed as a fraction, where the numerator represents the rise or change in vertical distance, and the denominator represents the horizontal distance traveled.

In this case, the ratio is 1 in 400, where 1 represents the rise and 400 represents the horizontal distance.

Interpreting the Ratio

When the ratio is 1 in 400, it means that for every 400 units of horizontal distance traveled, there is a rise of 1 unit in the vertical distance.

Therefore, if we consider a specific example, such as a road or railway track, for every 400 meters traveled horizontally, there is an increase in elevation of 1 meter.

Visual Representation

To visualize this gradient, imagine a straight road or track. For every 400 meters you travel along the road, the elevation increases by 1 meter.

This means that the slope is relatively gentle, as the rise is small compared to the horizontal distance covered.

Example Calculation

Suppose you are designing a road with a length of 4 kilometers (4000 meters) and the gradient is 1 in 400.

To calculate the rise in elevation, you can use the gradient ratio:

Rise = (Gradient ratio) * (Horizontal distance)

Rise = (1/400) * 4000 = 10 meters

Therefore, over a distance of 4 kilometers, the road will have a rise in elevation of 10 meters.

This is why option 'A' is the correct interpretation of a gradient represented as 1 in 400.

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