Question

1. what is the grade of a wheelchair ramp that rises 1 1/2 ft over a horizontal distance of 18 ft? express your answer to the nearest percent.

Explanation:

Step1: Convert mixed - number to improper fraction

$1\frac{1}{2}=\frac{2\times1 + 1}{2}=\frac{3}{2}$

Step2: Calculate the grade as a ratio

The grade of a ramp is the ratio of the vertical rise to the horizontal run, expressed as a percentage. The ratio is $\frac{\text{rise}}{\text{run}}=\frac{\frac{3}{2}}{18}$.

Step3: Simplify the ratio

$\frac{\frac{3}{2}}{18}=\frac{3}{2}\times\frac{1}{18}=\frac{3}{36}=\frac{1}{12}$

Step4: Convert ratio to percentage

To convert $\frac{1}{12}$ to a percentage, we calculate $\frac{1}{12}\times100\%=\frac{100}{12}\% \approx 8\%$

Answer:

$8\%$