Which term denotes vertical distance above a reference plane such as mean sea level or above ground level?

Which term denotes vertical distance above a reference plane such as mean sea level or above ground level?

• A. Altitude
• B. Elevation
• C. Height
• D. Distance

Answer: (A)

Altitude is the term for vertical distance measured from a reference plane, such as mean sea level. It covers how high something is above that reference surface, and you’ll also see it used with “above ground level” (AGL) to specify height above the terrain directly beneath. Elevation, on the other hand, describes the height of a location on the Earth's surface relative to mean sea level—it's a property of the ground itself, not the height of an object above a reference plane. Height is a more general word for how tall something is, without tying it to a particular reference surface. Distance is simply a generic measure of separation between two points. So the term that denotes vertical distance above a reference plane is altitude.

Altitude is the term for vertical distance measured from a reference plane, such as mean sea level. It covers how high something is above that reference surface, and you’ll also see it used with “above ground level” (AGL) to specify height above the terrain directly beneath. Elevation, on the other hand, describes the height of a location on the Earth's surface relative to mean sea level—it's a property of the ground itself, not the height of an object above a reference plane. Height is a more general word for how tall something is, without tying it to a particular reference surface. Distance is simply a generic measure of separation between two points. So the term that denotes vertical distance above a reference plane is altitude.