1. What is Elevation Gain?

Elevation gain is the total amount of vertical increase between a starting point and ending point. It's commonly used in hiking, cycling, and other outdoor activities to measure the difficulty of a route.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses a simple formula:

Where:

• End Elevation — The elevation at your destination (in feet)
• Start Elevation — The elevation at your starting point (in feet)

Explanation: The calculation simply subtracts the starting elevation from the ending elevation to determine the net gain.

3. Importance of Elevation Calculation

Details: Knowing elevation gain helps outdoor enthusiasts prepare for trips, estimate energy expenditure, and compare route difficulties. It's also important for engineering and construction projects.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both elevation values in feet. The calculator will automatically compute the difference between them. Positive values indicate a gain, negative values indicate a loss.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What units does this calculator use?
A: The calculator uses feet for elevation measurements.

Q2: Can I use negative values?
A: Yes, negative values are acceptable and will result in negative elevation gain (indicating a loss).

Q3: How precise is the calculation?
A: The calculator provides results rounded to 2 decimal places for precision.

Q4: What's considered a significant elevation gain?
A: For hiking, 500-1,000 feet is moderate, 1,000-2,500 feet is strenuous, and over 2,500 feet is very difficult.

Q5: Does this account for cumulative elevation gain?
A: No, this calculates net elevation gain between two points only, not the sum of all uphill sections.