Ruling gradient

Okay kiddo, so let's imagine you are going for a walk in a park, and there is a path there. When we are walking on a path, we feel that it is either going down or up, right? This means that a path can be either on a slope or not.

Now, ruling gradient is just a fancy word for the steepest slope that a train can go up or down without having any trouble. Trains are very cool machines (choo choo!) that transport people and things from one place to another. But trains need to be a bit careful when they are going up or down a slope because if the slope is too steep, the train might not be able to move forward or backward properly.

So, ruling gradient helps train drivers to know how steep a slope can be before their train can't work properly. This way, they can avoid accidents and safely transport people and things. And that's why ruling gradient is important for trains to run smoothly and get to where they need to go!