Interpreting Logarithms
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.

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: