With the help of three seismograph stations, the epicenter of an earthquake can be located by a process called
convection
condensation
triangulation
intersection
The prefix of one of those words means "three."
The correct answer is triangulation.
When an earthquake occurs, seismic waves are generated and travel through the Earth. Seismograph stations around the world detect these seismic waves and record the arrival times of the waves at each station.
To locate the epicenter of an earthquake, at least three seismograph stations are needed. Here's how the process of triangulation works:
1. Each seismograph station records the arrival time of the seismic waves from the earthquake.
2. The distance between the earthquake epicenter and each seismograph station can be calculated by using the difference in arrival times of the seismic waves.
3. A circle is drawn around each seismograph station with a radius equal to the distance calculated in step 2.
4. The intersection point of these circles represents the possible location of the earthquake epicenter.
5. By considering data from additional seismograph stations, a more accurate location of the epicenter can be determined, reducing the margin of error.
So, to summarize, the process of locating the epicenter of an earthquake with the help of three seismograph stations is called triangulation, where the distance from each station is measured and circles are drawn to find the intersection point, indicating the location of the epicenter.