I hope that you want a really large answer, because y = <span>8.8638487e+23.
I hope that this helps.</span>
Answer: <em>The answer would be x (x+1)</em>
You could use the information from part A to get B. I'm not sure if you want A or not, so I'll do it as well.
A
Eo = 10^4.4 Joules
E = 2 * 10^15
Formula
M = (2/3) log (E/Eo)
M = 2/3 * log (2 * 10^15/10^(4.4) )
M = 2/3 * log( 7.9621* 10^10)
M = 2/3 * 10.901
M = 7.26735 on the Richter scale. That is a huge amount of energy.
Part B
Suppose that you use Eo and your base. Eo is 10^4.4
Now the new earthquake is E = 10000 * Eo
So what you get now is M = (2/3)* Log(10000 * Eo / Eo )
The Eo's cancel out.
M = 2/3 * log(10000)
M = 2/3 of 4
M = 8/3
M = 2.6667 difference in the Richter Scale Reading. It is still an awful lot of energy.
What this tells you is that if the original reading was (say) 6 then the 10000 times bigger reading would 8.266667
Answer: M = 2.6667
2,320,502 <=== Two million, three-hundred and twenty thousand five hundred and two
