slope of a walkway

[frebbie]

I have to construct a slanted walkway from a 10 inch high step to the ground.
1. what is the best angle for the slope. I randomly chose 75 degrees. Is that a safe slope for walking?
2. what is the length of the walkway at that slope?

I have tried to calculate it with my rudimentary talent. the result was 38 inches. Is that correct.

If the slope should be more, please indicate the new length.
thank you

 

[ksdhart2]

I have to construct a slanted walkway from a 10 inch high step to the ground.
1. what is the best angle for the slope. I randomly chose 75 degrees. Is that a safe slope for walking?
2. what is the length of the walkway at that slope?

I have tried to calculate it with my rudimentary talent. the result was 38 inches. Is that correct.

If the slope should be more, please indicate the new length.
thank you

The "best angle for the slope" depends entirely on what you mean by "best." However, there are several things you might consider when using your own intuition to determine if 75 degrees is an appropriate slope.

1. A 90 degree slope is a purely vertical wall.
2. The maximum setting for most treadmills is around 10-12 degrees.
3. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that the maximum grade of wheelchair slopes is one inch rise for each foot of distance. This equates to about a 4.75 degree slope.

As for your second question, you can check your answer by determining the slope percentage. If you have a slope whose length is 38 inches, and it rises 10 inches, how much does it rise for each inch of length? Then what percentage is that? Once you have your percentage, you can use the following formula to see if you get 75 degrees as your result:

Degrees = tan^-1(Slope Percent/100)

Using this formula, you can also determine how to work backwards from degrees to percentage and then calculate length from that, if you desire.