Question

Name the scale on which the destructive energy of an earthquake is measured. An earthquake measures 3 on this scale. Would it be recorded by a seismograph? Is it likely to cause much damage?

Answer 1

Hint: Earthquakes are caused when the earth’s tectonic plates slide over one another. Their magnitude is measured using a logarithmic scale.

Detailed step by step answer:
Richter magnitude scale is a scale that helps us in measuring the strength of an earthquake. It was invented by Charles F. Richter. It is a mathematical device that is used to compare the magnitudes of earthquakes.
In order to calculate the Richter magnitude of an earthquake, we take the logarithm of the amplitude of the waves which are recorded by a seismograph. A seismograph is a device that calculates and records the various information about an earthquake.
The measurements recorded from a Richter scale are whole numbers and fractions. The scale is graduated from 1 to 10.
An earthquake that measures 3 on this scale will be recorded by the seismograph but it will no be causing substantial damage in the area of impact. The earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7 are highly destructive.

Additional information:
The formula used to calculate the magnitude is as follows:
${M_L} = {\log _{10}}A - {\log _{10}}{A_0}\left( \delta \right) = {\log _{10}}\left[ {\dfrac{A}{{{A_0}\left( \delta \right)}}} \right]$

Note: The Richter scale has a logarithmic character. The logarithm of a number basically tells the power to which a particular number must be raised in order to obtain another number. Each next number on the Richter scale represents a tenfold increase in the strength of the earthquake.