Question

How many more times intense is an earthquake that measures 8 on the Richter scale than an earthquake that measures 5? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

on edge

A magnitude 8 earthquake is 1,000 times more intense than a magnitude 5 earthquake. A magnitude 8 earthquake is 108 times more intense than a standard earthquake, while a magnitude 5 earthquake is 105 times more intense than a standard earthquake, and 108 ÷ 105 = 103. Each unit increase on the Richter scale corresponds to an intensity increase by a factor of 10. So from 5 to 8 on the Richter scale, the intensity increases by 103 = 1,000.

Answer 2

1000 times

Explanation:

The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale, so we can say an earthquake of magnitude 8 on the Richter scale shows an intensity of 10^8.

In the same way, an earthquake of magnitude 5 on Richter scale will have an intensity of 10^5.

To evaluate the difference, we divide one by the other.

10^8 / 10^5 = 10^3 = 1,000

An earthquake of intensity of 8 is 1,000 times more powerful than one of intensity 5.