MATH QUESTIONS I need help on

[escavader]

HI,Quick questions,couple ive been pondering lately,
QUESTION 1
,WHATS the easiest way to measure the slope of a hill.I know for a roof pitch its the rise per foot[example my place has about 6 inches up per each foot horizontal ,or a 6/12 pitch].Is there some way similar to figure degrees of a slope? Just curious of how steep a few of my hills are.

Question 2 ,
If i have a road 9 feet wide ,and want to add 3 inches of gravel to it ,how far will a yard take me?

THANKS in advance
ALAN

[RalphVa]

Try googling topographic maps. You may find they're available for your property. They are for mine. Think you input a zip code or maybe an address directly.

A yard is 27 cubic feet. So, each foot of your 9 foot road 3" deep is 9/4 cubic foot. So, the number of feet a yard will go is 4/9 * 27 = 12 feet.

Ralph

[Patches]

Can't help you on #1; #2 cubic yard= 27 cu.ft. 3" = .25 ft. Drive 9' wide X .25 =2.25sq ft 27cu.ft. divided by 2.25sq. ft = 12 linear ft. You can go 12 feet up the drive, so long as you don't have the quarter inching valve Sorry Ralph. Took me longer to type it up

[escavader]

Thanks for the answer on two,saves me some thinkin Ralph,what i was asking on #1 was,if your on your tractor say and there is a steep slope you need to mow ,is there an easy way to calculate the angle of it,say with rise,over a certain distance or something?
ALAN

[zzvyb6]

Your 6/12 pitch is 26.57 degrees. 6/12 =.5. The arctan of .5 is 26.57 degrees. I'd call it 27 degrees to make sure you don't abuse the extra 1/2 degree and roll the rig over.

[Egon]

Get a carpenters angle measurer that has a level on it. Some compasses will have an angle indicator on them also.

There are lots of other methods. String line with line bubble and plumb bob and use either the tan or cotan function.

[Aguanga]

Most people don't have the scientific calculator, but if you're running Microsoft Windows go to Start --> Accessories --> Calculator. On the menu bar select view then "scientific". All you need to know how to use for this calculation is to select the box for next to inverse ("Inv") and then the tangent button ("tan").

For example, in "zzvyb6's" post you take your rise over run (6 / 12 = 0.5), select inverse and then select tangent to get the same answer. Do you have a carpenter's square or speed square... Place two stakes the same height at top and bottom of slope, stand next to the lower one placing a square on top and using a level to keep it... level, then sight along the square toward the top of the other stake while noting the rise and run on the square. The speed square (i.e. swanson) actually has the pitch and degrees marked on it to make it easier (no calculator).

[slewisma]

For your first question, get one of these or similar:
Craftsman Magnetic Angle Finder - Model 39830 at Sears.com

Very inexpensive and a quick way to get a close enough measure. Hint: stop the tractor to read the gauge or put the gauge on a straight piece of metal and lay that on the hill instead of putting the tractor on there at all.

I used one of these type gauges to find out I was mowing sideways in places I had no business being. I go up and down now.

[blagg]

What the heck did Aguanga just say?

[wedge40]

I think the hard part of measuring a slop is finding the rise over run. If I were truly interested, I take a 4 or 5 foot stake and place it vertical someplace on the hill. Measure up the stake some distance, let say 3 ft, at that point measure how far it is to the hill, lets say 4ft. Your rise over run will be 3/4, or .75 and the angle is 37 degrees.

Wedge