Stigning

Stigning is a term used in Norwegian (and Danish) to describe the action or result of rising, increasing, or climbing. It derives from the verb stige, meaning to rise or ascend, and is used in various disciplines to denote a change in level, height, or value.

In geography, engineering, and transportation, stigning refers to the incline or gradient of terrain, roads, railways, or other surfaces. It is expressed as a percent grade or as an angle. A road with a 5 percent stigning gains five meters in height for every 100 meters of horizontal distance. The concept is central to planning routes, assessing difficulty, and calculating needed power or traction for vehicles.

In mathematics and physics, stigning describes the slope or rate of change. For a straight line, the stigning is the ratio of vertical to horizontal change. For a function y = f(x), the stigning corresponds to the derivative dy/dx, indicating how rapidly y changes as x changes. In multivariable contexts, the gradient vector generalizes this idea, representing the direction and steepness of the greatest rate of increase.

In medicine and everyday usage, stigning denotes an increase in a measured value over time, such as a rise in temperature, blood pressure, or other clinical indicators. In sports and outdoor activities, the term is used to describe ascents, including climbs during cycling, hiking, skiing, or running, with practical implications for effort and technique.

See also: gradient, incline, ascent, rise.