Descent Rate Calculator

Formula

The formula to calculate the descent rate is:

\[ DER = \frac{DD}{HD} \]

Where:

\(DER\) is the Descent Rate (descent per horizontal distance)
\(DD\) is the total descent distance
\(HD\) is the total horizontal distance

What is Descent Rate?

The descent rate is the ratio of the total descent distance to the total horizontal distance. It is calculated by dividing the descent distance by the horizontal distance. This measurement is useful in various fields, such as aviation and hiking, to determine the steepness of a descent.

Example Calculation 1

Let's assume the following values:

Descent Distance (DD) = 500 ft
Horizontal Distance (HD) = 2000 ft

Using the formula:

\[ DER = \frac{500}{2000} = 0.25 \]

The descent rate would be 0.25.

Example Calculation 2

Let's assume the following values:

Descent Distance (DD) = 300 ft
Horizontal Distance (HD) = 1500 ft

Using the formula:

\[ DER = \frac{300}{1500} = 0.20 \]

The descent rate would be 0.20.