SOLARES FIEL ERICSON R.

BSCE 4 – TECH ELEC 1 (EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING)

ACTIVITY #4
Follow the steps below to construct your own version of seismograph.
1. Spread out your newspaper or scratch paper on the table.
2. Tape your marker to one end of the ruler so it makes a long L shape.

Fig. 1 – Marker on the ruler.

3. Place the heavy material you have nearby, and tape the ruler to the side so the tip of the marker is touching
the newspaper.

Fig. 2 – Ruler with marker Attached to the heavy material.

4. Try gently shaking the table. (See attached video)

What happens on the paper? What happens with smaller or bigger shakes?

Fig. 3 – Seismogram recorded in step 4.

As the table shakes, the paper moves with the table. When small shakes occur, small strokes are made by
the marker. But when bigger shakes occur, bigger strokes are made by the marker.
5. Real seismographs have rolls of paper that that rotate slowly. Have one person try moving the paper as
another person shakes the table. (See attached video)
How can you describe the seismogram?
 Fig. 4 – Seismogram recorded in step 5.

The seismogram is the documented response of the seismograph to the shakes of the table over time. The
line height of the lines made by the marker are proportional to the intensity of the shake in the table.

6. If you shake the table laterally and up and down, how does that affect the image of the waves on the paper?
(See attached video.)

Fig. 5 – Seismogram recorded in step 6.

When shaking the table laterally, the seismograph records the shakes in a 2D plane (x and y axis). When
shaking in an up and down manner, the seismograph still records the shakes in a 2D plane, but on the y and
z axis. To our eyes, the graph is one dimensional because we can only see dots. If the paper was placed
vertically, it would have a similar graph to the one in Fig. 4.

7. Try to place one paper in a tub of sand or water, how does what the seismograph rests upon on affect the
readings on the scale?

Fig. 6 – Seismogram recorded in step 7. The paper is placed perpendicular to the DIY seismograph.

Based from observation, as the table was shaking, the paper didn’t move as much compared to when it was
just on the table. The paper moved with the water in the container, which was mostly going to the opposite
direction. Another difference between when the paper was only placed in table and when it was placed
above water was that the paper rotated because of the waves that were generated from the shaking. Based
from this, we can say that the readings will depend on the surface that the seismograph will rest upon.