Question

By what factor does the intensity increase for each whole-number increase in the richter scale? use your understanding of logarithms and the inverse relationship between logarithms and exponents to explain your answer.

Answer 1

The factor of intensity increase for each whole number increase in the Richter scale is 10. This is because the Richter scale is a logarithmic scale that has a base of 10. As an example, a Richter scale of 1 increased to 2 will have an intensity increase of 
10^2 / 10^1 = 10

Answer 2

Answer:

The intensity increases by a factor of 10.

The Richter scale uses a logarithm with base 10.

For example, an earthquake with magnitude 2 is 102 times more intense than a standard earthquake, while an earthquake with magnitude 3 is 103 times more intense than a standard earthquake, and 103 = 102 × 10.

Step-by-step explanation: