What Does an 8% Grade Mean in Terms of Slope Steepness?

[Gott_ist_tot]

Homework Statement

An automobile driver traveling down an 8% grade slams on his breaks and skids 26 m until hitting a car...

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

I have no idea what a 8% grade is. I am guessing it is a slope, but how much?

Thanks for any help I am stumped.

 

[PhanthomJay]

Homework Statement

An automobile driver traveling down an 8% grade slams on his breaks and skids 26 m until hitting a car...

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

I have no idea what a 8% grade is. I am guessing it is a slope, but how much?

Thanks for any help I am stumped.

Yes it is a slope of 8/100

 

[m2003]

An 8% grade refers to the steepness of a slope or ramp. It means that for every 100 horizontal units, there is an increase of 8 vertical units. In other words, for every 100 meters traveled horizontally, there is a rise of 8 meters. This can also be expressed as a ratio of 1:12.5, meaning that for every 1 unit of horizontal distance, there is a rise of 12.5 units of vertical distance.

In the given scenario, the driver is traveling down a ramp with an 8% grade and slams on the brakes, causing the car to skid 26 meters before hitting another car. This information can be used to calculate the initial speed of the car before braking, using the equations for motion with constant acceleration. We would need to know the mass of the car and the coefficient of friction between the tires and the ramp to accurately calculate the speed.

As a scientist, it is important to always be clear and specific with the terms and units used in describing a scenario. In this case, it would be helpful to specify the units of distance and grade (e.g. 8% grade over 100 meters) to avoid confusion.