4. Rate of change can describe the pitch of a roof. In some climates, the pitch is very important.
For instance, in snowy climates, the steeper the pitch the better because home owners want
the snow to drift off rather than build up.
5. Engineers will use the term “grade” when discussing the rate of change of a road. Keep this
in mind when you are in areas that display signs like the one below. Grade is usually
represented by a percent.
A 10% grade means that for every run of 100 units
(probably feet) there is a rise of 8 units.
10
Rate of change = 10%
100
6. Can you see the importance of rate of change in every day life? Consider the situations
presented below: