Question

The 1933 earthquake in Japan registered 8.9 on the Richter scale.

a) The 1985 earthquake in Peru registered 7.7 on the Richter Scale. How many more times intense was the earthquake in Japan?

b) What would the Richter scale reading be of an earthquake that is only 0.01 times as intense as the earthquake in Japan?

Answer 1

a) The earthquake in Japan was in 8.9/7.7 = 1.156 times more intense than in Peru.
b) It should be 8.9*0.01 = 0.089 on the Richter Scale.