Contour values are whole-number multiples of the contour interval?

Contour values are whole-number multiples of the contour interval?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not necessarily
• D. Only on some maps

Answer: (A)

Contour lines mark equal steps in elevation, so the value shown on each line changes by a fixed amount—the contour interval. Because you keep adding that fixed amount as you move to higher contours, the elevations form a sequence separated by the interval: E0, E0 + I, E0 + 2I, and so on, where I is the contour interval. If the baseline elevation is aligned so that it’s a multiple of the interval (a common convention, like starting at zero), then the contour elevations themselves appear as whole-number multiples of the interval. In practice, the spacing between lines is always the same, and the line elevations advance in exact steps of the interval, which is why this statement is considered true.

Contour lines mark equal steps in elevation, so the value shown on each line changes by a fixed amount—the contour interval. Because you keep adding that fixed amount as you move to higher contours, the elevations form a sequence separated by the interval: E0, E0 + I, E0 + 2I, and so on, where I is the contour interval. If the baseline elevation is aligned so that it’s a multiple of the interval (a common convention, like starting at zero), then the contour elevations themselves appear as whole-number multiples of the interval. In practice, the spacing between lines is always the same, and the line elevations advance in exact steps of the interval, which is why this statement is considered true.