If an Earthquake Has an Intensity of I, Then Its $\mathrm { R } = \log \left( \frac { \mathrm { I } } { \mathrm { I } _ { 0 } } \right)$

question 233

Multiple Choice

If an earthquake has an intensity of I, then its magnitude, as computed by the Richter Scale, is given by $\mathrm { R } = \log \left( \frac { \mathrm { I } } { \mathrm { I } _ { 0 } } \right)$ , where $\mathrm { I } _ { 0 }$ is the intensity of a small, measurable earthquake. (Consider $\mathrm { I } _ { 0 } = 1$ for this question.) If one earthquake has a magnitude of $3.0$ on the Richter scale and a second earthquake has a magnitude of $8.5$ on the Richter scale, how many times more intense (to the nearest whole number) is the second earthquake than the first?

• A) 316,228
• B) 316,227,766,017
• C) 681
• D) 2

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