F3 Maths HW 4 – Gradient and Inclination – 24022020

Formulas Recap:
vertical distance
I. gradient = horizontal distance

II. tan 𝜃 = gradient

In this HW, you may need to construct horizontal/ vertical lines.

1. In the figure, the length of a swimming pool is 50 m. The depth at the two
ends are 1 m and 3 m respectively.
(a) Find the gradient of the bottom of the swimming pool in the form 1 : n.
(b) Find the angle that the bottom of the swimming pool makes with the
horizontal.

2. In the figure, Mark takes 40 seconds to ski down a straight path AB at a

constant speed of 180 m/min. At the same time, John skis down another
straight path AC. It is known that B and C are on the horizontal ground. The
gradient of AB is 1 : 9 and the horizontal distance between A and C is 110 m.
(a) Find the vertical distance between A and B.
(b) If the speed of John is the same as that of Mark, will John reach the horizontal ground first? Explain your
answer.

3. In the figure, the scale of the contour map is 1 : 18000. AB is a straight path
and is measured to be 1.5 cm on the map. Find
(a) the gradient of path AB,
(b) the actual distance of path AB in km.

4. In the figure, a cable car travels 320 m from station A to station B and then
280 m from station B to station C. It is known that the horizontal distance
between A and C is 580 m and the gradient of BC is 1 : 8.
(a) Find the inclination of AB.
(b) Mandy claims that the vertical distance between A and C is greater than
150 m. Do you agree? Explain your answer.