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  • Pow7 Earthquakes Angelawilson

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    The document discusses earthquakes and the Richter scale. It provides information about converting between earthquake magnitude (on the Richter scale) and intensity (in units of mw2). It then asks two questions: 1) How much more intense would a predicted 9.2 earthquake be than a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti? 2) What would the magnitude be if the predicted earthquake was half as intense? To solve this, the document converts the magnitudes to intensities, calculates that the predicted quake would be around 160 times more intense, and that a half-intensity quake would have a magnitude of 8.9.

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    The document discusses earthquakes and the Richter scale. It provides information about converting between earthquake magnitude (on the Richter scale) and intensity (in units of mw2). It then asks two questions: 1) How much more intense would a predicted 9.2 earthquake be than a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti? 2) What would the magnitude be if the predicted earthquake was half as intense? To solve this, the document converts the magnitudes to intensities, calculates that the predicted quake would be around 160 times more intense, and that a half-intensity quake would have a magnitude of 8.9.

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    23 views2 pages

    Pow7 Earthquakes Angelawilson

    Uploaded by

    api-269843266
    The document discusses earthquakes and the Richter scale. It provides information about converting between earthquake magnitude (on the Richter scale) and intensity (in units of mw2). It then asks two questions: 1) How much more intense would a predicted 9.2 earthquake be than a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti? 2) What would the magnitude be if the predicted earthquake was half as intense? To solve this, the document converts the magnitudes to intensities, calculates that the predicted quake would be around 160 times more intense, and that a half-intensity quake would have a magnitude of 8.9.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 2

    POW7Earthquakes

    EarthquakesaretypicallydescribedusingthelogarithmicRichterscale.Thismeansthatinstead
    ofdescribingintensity,theRichterscaledescribesthe
    magnitude
    ofanearthquake.Thisisdone
    usingtheformula R = log(I) whereRistheRichtermagnitudeandIistheactualintensityofthe
    quakein mw2 .(yes,thereareunitsofintensity)
    Prelabquestions:
    A. Ifanearthquakehasanintensityof 782, 300mw2 ,whatisitsmagnitudeontheRichter
    Scale?
    B. Coloradoslargestearthquakeinthelasthundredyearswasa5.3.Whatwasthe
    intensity?
    In2010,a7.0quakehitHaitiandthedeathtollisestimatedaround150,000people.
    SeismologistsanticipateanearthquakeoffthecoastofOregonorWashingtoninthenext50
    yearsthatcouldbeupto9.2.
    1) Howmuchmore
    intense
    wouldthisquakebethantheearthquakeinHaiti?Presentyour
    answerasa
    factor
    ,forexamplethreetimesmoreintense!Ohmy!
    2) Iftheearthquakeisonlyhalfas
    intense
    aspredicted,whatwillitbeontheRichterscale?
    Stage1Understandingtheproblem
    KnownValues
    :
    r
    R=log(I)thereforeI=10
    Haitiquake7.0(ontheRichterscale)
    possiblequake9.2(ontheRichterscale)
    Prelabanswers
    :
    AR=log(782,300)R=5.893
    5.3
    B5.3=log(I)I=10
    I=199,526
    Variables:
    I=intensity
    Finalgoal
    :
    TofindouthowmuchmoreintensethisquakewouldbethanHaitis.Also,ifthe
    earthquakeisonlyhalfasintenseaspredicted,whatitwillbeontheRichterscale.
    Stage2Developingaplan
    Ahelpfultoolwillbe:
    mytrustyTI84calculator
    Roughprediction
    :
    Ithinkthatthepredictedquakewillbeabout150moreintensethanthequakeinHaiti.
    Also,ifthequakeisonlygoingtobehalfofwhatitispredicted,itwillbeabout8.7onthe
    Richterscale.Rounding9.2downto9andfindingthatintensityofthat,dividingby2,andthen
    changingitbackintotheRichterscale.

    Stage3Solvingtheproblem
    Step

    Explanation

    HaitiquakeR=7.0
    7
    I=10
    I=10,000,000

    predictedquakeR=9.2
    9.2
    I=10
    I=
    1,584,893,192

    Thefirstquestionisaskinghowmanytimes
    theintensitysoIamchangingtheRichter
    scalenumbersintointensities.

    1,584,893,192/10,000,000=158.49
    158.5timeslarger

    Idividedthelargernumberthepredicted
    quakebythesmalleroneHaitistofind
    howmanytimegreaterthepredictedquakeis.

    9.2
    I=10
    I=
    1,584,893,192

    Thesecondquestionaskswhathalfofthe
    predictedquakewouldbeontheRichter
    scale.Thefirststepistochangeitto
    intensity.

    1,584,893,192
    /2=792,446,596

    Takehalf.

    R=log(792,446,596)
    R=8.89

    Usetheequationtochangetheintensityinto
    theRichterscale.

    Stage4Answertheproblem
    Solution(s):
    Theendingsolutionsare:
    Question1Thepredictedquakeisapproximately160timesmoreintensethantheoneinHaiti.
    Question2Halfofthepredictedquakemeasuresat8.9ontheRichterscale.

    Reflection:
    Theseanswersdocorrelatewithmypredictions.Theseanswersdomakesenseitisjusthardto
    wrapmyheadaroundhowsmallthedifferencecanbetomakeabigchangeintheearthquake
    world.

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