Calculus Application for Highway Design

The instructor introduces the use of basic calculus to determine the high or low point of the vertical component of a roadway design. This application provides a practical use of the derivatives that is critical in highway design when locating a roadway over or under features (such as pipelines or bridges). This application can be replicated by a teacher with local information (using commonly available online mapping tools, such as Google Earth) to aid in the understanding of the topic. The instructor, Daniel Findley, is a licensed Professional Engineer, focused on Transportation Engineering. He has a PhD in Civil Engineering from NC State University and is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Transportation Research and Education and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering at NC State. (4:46) For more details about vertical curves, please visit: http://youtu.be/OJYDhdcV6KM