Making the grade

Produced this contour map of the area surrounding Bumps Creek for a hydrology unit in one of our science classes. They will be learning how to determine the watershed area.

Later in the unit, I hope to show them how to use Model My Watershed (which is where I configured the map).

Then I got to thinking it might be a fun project to plot a railroad track, with all its constraints, over a given contour map. That lead me to this nifty explanation (and consequences) about the art & science of railroad grades & curves!  So much to know...like computing a RR curve: