Wellll, actually
here is a tiny (tiny, tiny) bit of controversy as to whether road grade
should be measured as rise/run, as we measure slope in mathematics, or
if "run" should be replaced with the distance along the roadway.
That gives "rise/hypotenuse." Since the hypotenuse is longer than
the "run," the rise/hypotenuse method gives a
lower grade value. While that's not how we measure slope in mathematics, there's no particular reason why highway engineers
should use slope.
However, this difference is negligible in practice.
For example, on a freeway grade for which rise/run is 7%, the
alternative rise/hypotenuse gives 6.98%. On a steep street grade
measured at rise/run = 12%, we get 11.91% in the alternative
rise/hypotenuse sense. The infamous "Fargo Street" in Los Angeles
is said to have a 33% grade. If that's a rise/run measurement,
then rise/hypotenuse would be 31.3%. If the 33% is already
rise/hypotenuse, the rise/run measurement would be 34.96%. So in
all but the most extreme examples, either measurement gives results
close enough to equal as to make no difference in road design or
construction. Pictures of Fargo street:
one,
two. How you ride a bike up Fargo street:
easier,
harder.