Question

I’m 2009, an earthquake hit Costa Rica, registering a 6.1 on the Richter scale. What was the intensity of this earthquake, assuming the reference value was 1?

Answer 1

If the reference value was one then shouldn't it be 6.1 times more?

Explanation:

Answer 2

`1.26* 10^(6)` ( approx )

Explanation:

We know that,

The magnitude equation of an earthquake in richter scale is,

`R=log((I)/(I_0))`

Where, I represents the intensity of the earthquake,

`I_0` represents the reference intensity of the earthquake,

Given, R = 6.1,

`I_0=1`

By substituting the values in the above equation,

`6.1=log((I)/(1))`

`6.1=logI`

Taking exponent on both side,

`10^(6.1)=I`

`\implies I = 1258925.41179= 1.25892541179* 10^(6)\approx 1.26* 10^(6)`