Logarithms Why do we need to know this stuff? Base 10 Natural log e Richter scale Ph levels Compound interest Newton’s Law of Cooling
Earthquakes earth·quake (ûrth kw k) n. A sudden movement of the earth's crust caused by the release of stress accumulated along geologic faults or by volcanic activity.
How is an earthquake measured? The Richter scale is used to measure the intensity of an earthquake. Logarithms (based 10) are used to calculate that measurement. This means that each level is 10 times more intense than the previous level.
Yellowstone National Park Between 1000 and 2000 earthquakes have been recorded each year since 2004 These are mainly due to the Super volcano located below the park. Click>>>
How is pH measured? The pH scale measures the concentration of hydrogen and hydroxide ions to determine how acidic or basic a solution is. The scale ranges from 0 to 14. The closer a number is to zero the more acidic it is. Because pH is based on Logarithms a decrease of 1 means the solution is 10 times more acidic. Conversely an increase of 1 means 10 times more basic. Water is considered neither acidic nor basic and has a pH of 7.
Yellowstone National Park Is famous for it’s geothermal sites. Many of these sites were created due to the earthquakes caused by the volcano. The temperatures of these sites are often high enough to cause severe burns and often death if an animal or human falls into them. Many of the sites also are low in pH
“Deaths in Yellowstone” “Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park” By Lee H. Whittlesey (reading excerpts from the book: p. 3-4; p. 5)
The mud volcano and sulfur caldron areas, north of Yellowstone Lake, comprise the most acidic section of Yellowstone National Park. Mud pots are high-temperature geothermal hot springs or fumaroles of bubbling mud. The temperature of these areas, such as the Black Dragon Cauldron, can exceed 192 degrees Fahrenheit due to volcanic activities. The pH of these areas, such as in the case of sulfur caldron, can also be as low as 1.2, nearly identical to the pH of battery acid. ools
Newton’s Law of Cooling T (t) = T e + (T 0 − T e ) e - kt This formula can be used to determine the time of death of a murder victim ( among other things). You would need to solve for t which requires using logarithms.
Compound Interest