The table shows the location and magnitude of some notable earthquakes. How many times more energy was released by the earthquake in Mexico than by the earthquake in Afghanistan?%0D%0A%0D%0AEarthquake Location %09Date %09 Richter Scale Measure%0D%0A Italy%09 October 31, 2002%09 5.9%0D%0A El Salvador%09 February 13, 2001%09 6.6%0D%0A Afghanistan%09 May 30, 1998%09 6.9%0D%0A Mexico%09 January 22, 2003%09 7.6%0D%0A Peru%09 June 23, 2001%09 8.1%0D%0A(1 point)%0D%0AResponses%0D%0A%0D%0Aabout 42.36 times as much energy%0D%0Aabout 42.36 times as much energy%0D%0A%0D%0Aabout 0.70 times as much energy%0D%0Aabout 0.70 times as much energy%0D%0A%0D%0Aabout 5.01 times as much energy%0D%0Aabout 5.01 times as much energy%0D%0A%0D%0Aabout 21 times as much energy%0D%0Aabout 21 times as much energy
To find out how many times more energy was released by the earthquake in Mexico than by the earthquake in Afghanistan, we need to compare their magnitudes on the Richter scale.
The magnitude difference between two earthquakes can be calculated using the formula:
Magnitude Difference = 10^(M2 - M1)
Where M2 is the magnitude of earthquake 2 (Mexico) and M1 is the magnitude of earthquake 1 (Afghanistan).
Using the given data:
Magnitude difference = 10^(7.6 - 6.9) = 10^0.7 = 5.01
So, the earthquake in Mexico released about 5.01 times more energy than the earthquake in Afghanistan.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
about 5.01 times as much energy