Ski Slope Simulator

Pre-Algebra · Axiom Academy

Hit the slopes and discover the one number that decides whether a hill is a gentle cruise or a terrifying drop: its slope. What makes one slope "gentle" and another "extreme"? Every ski run at the resort has a different feel — and it all comes down to how steep it is. Mathematicians measure steepness with a single number called the slope , and it is built from just two distances: how far you drop (the rise ) versus how far you travel sideways (the run ). Watch a skier take the beginner slope. As they glide down, the rise (the vertical drop) and the run (the horizontal distance) get marked off, and the running slope = rise/run climbs to its final value. The slope of the beginner hill is 3 down for every 10 across — a slope of 3/10 = 0.30. A small number means a gentle hill. Change the rise and run — feel the steepness change Drag the sliders to set how far the hill drops (rise) and how far it stretches sideways (run). The bigger the rise compared to the run, the steeper the slope — and the harder the difficulty rating climbs. Notice: a steeper line always means a bigger slope number. Same idea, every time — slope = rise/run. Here are three runs from the resort, all drawn on the same 10-across grid so you can stack them side by side. Click a slope to spotlight it and read its rise, run, and slope. Same run, more rise → a steeper line and a bigger slope.

This is the written version of the interactive lesson above. See the full Pre-Algebra course.