What do the abbreviations HE and LE stand for in slope calculations?

• A. Highest Elevation and Lowest Elevation
• B. Height Elevation and Level Elevation
• C. Highest End and Lowest End
• D. Highest Elevation and Least Elevation

Answer: (A)

In slope calculations, you need the vertical change along the path, which comes from the difference between the highest and the lowest elevations encountered. HE and LE stand for Highest Elevation and Lowest Elevation. Subtract the lowest from the highest to get the rise, then relate that to the horizontal distance to determine the slope.

For example, if the highest point is 1,000 units and the lowest is 950 units, the rise is 50 units. With a horizontal run of 200 units, the slope is 50/200 = 0.25, or 25%.

Other terms like “Height Elevation” or “Level Elevation” aren’t standard for this purpose, and “Highest End” or “Least Elevation” don’t consistently describe the vertical extremes along the slope.