Earthquakes can be recorded on a seismograph. This device produces a piece of paper with a long flat line, along with scribbles drawn with a needle that represent times when there has been an earthquake. How is energy transmitted to the seismograph?
A) Seismic waves carry energy through Earth and shake Earth below the seismograph.
B) Sound waves carry energy through Earth and shake Earth below the seismograph.
C) Seismic waves carry energy through the air and shake the needle of the seismograph.
D) Sound waves carry energy through the air and shake the needle of the seismograph.
A) Seismic waves carry energy through Earth and shake Earth below the seismograph.
A) Seismic waves carry energy through Earth and shake Earth below the seismograph.
The correct answer is A) Seismic waves carry energy through Earth and shake Earth below the seismograph.
To understand how energy is transmitted to the seismograph, we need to understand seismic waves. Seismic waves are vibrations that travel through the Earth as a result of an earthquake or other sources of energy. These waves can be categorized into two main types: body waves and surface waves.
Body waves are the first waves to be generated during an earthquake and they travel through the interior of the Earth. There are two types of body waves: Primary waves (P-waves) and Secondary waves (S-waves). P-waves are compressional waves that move in a push-pull motion, whereas S-waves are shear waves that move in a side-to-side motion.
When an earthquake occurs, these seismic waves radiate outwards from the epicenter, where the earthquake originates. As the seismic waves travel through the Earth, they cause the ground to shake. This shaking is detected by the seismograph, which is a sensitive instrument designed to measure and record these vibrations.
The seismograph consists of a stationary base and a heavy mass called a seismometer that is attached to it. When the seismic waves pass through the ground, they cause the base and seismometer to vibrate. The relative motion between the base and the mass is then recorded by a pen or a needle attached to the seismometer.
The result is a record of the seismic activity in the form of a graph on a piece of paper. The flat line on the paper represents the absence of any seismic activity, while the scribbles or wavy lines represent the times when there has been an earthquake. By analyzing these recordings, seismologists can determine various characteristics of the earthquake, such as its magnitude, location, and depth.
In summary, energy from an earthquake is transmitted to the seismograph through seismic waves, which carry the energy through the Earth and cause the ground to shake below the seismograph.