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// Program to convert Richter Scale numbers to energy.
//
// Both of these functions can take either a dimensionless number, which
// indicates a number on the Richter Scale, or a unit with dimensions of
// energy. If a dimensionless number is passed in, this returns an energy.
// If an energy is passed in, this returns a dimensionless number which is
// the number on the Richter scale.
//
// The first approximation is due to Richter and Gutenberg, but this
// approximation uses a very narrow frequency band, which is not the band
// in which earthquakes primarily radiate their energy.
RichterGutenberg[n] :=
{
if (n conforms 1) // Passed in dimensionless. (Richter number)
return 10^(4.8 + 1.5n) J // Convert to energy.
if (n conforms joule) // Passed in energy. Convert to Richter.
return -3.2 + 0.28953 ln[n/J]
return "Error: Expected dimensionless number or unit with dimensions of energy."
}
// The Choy-Boatwright approximation (1995) assumes higher-frequency components
// and is thus more realistic. This returns the amount of energy radiated
// as seismic energy.
ChoyBoatwright[n] :=
{
if (n conforms 1) // Passed in dimensionless. (Richter number)
return 22387 e^(3.45388 n) J // Convert to energy.
if (n conforms joule) // Passed in energy. Convert to Richter.
return -2.9 + 0.28953 ln[n/J]
return "Error: Expected dimensionless number or unit with dimensions of energy."
}
Download or view Richter.frink in plain text format
This is a program written in the programming language Frink.
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Alan Eliasen was born 19966 days, 8 hours, 42 minutes ago.