An earthquake was recorded with a shock wave which was 7,943,282 times more powerful than the smallest measurable shock wave recordable by a seismograph. What is the magnitude of this earthquake on the Richter scale (rounded to the nearest tenth)? The magnitude on the Richter scale of an earthquake of intensity I is logI.
A) 6.9
B) 0.7
C) 15.9
D) 5.9

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The magnitude of the earthquake on the Richter scale is calculated using the formula logI, where I is the intensity of the earthquake. Given that the earthquake was 7,943,282 times more powerful than the smallest measurable shock wave, we calculate the magnitude as log(7,943,282). This calculation gives us approximately 6.9, rounding to the nearest tenth.

An Earthquake Was Recorded with a Shock Wave Which Was