Question

the s-p interval of seismic waves recorded at a seismometer is 5 minutes. the equation for determining this distance to the epicenter is
s-p interval = 0.001613 × distance to epicenter
approximately how far away is the earthquakes epicenter from the seismometer?
less than 1 km
5 km
300 km
3,100 km

Explanation:

Step1: Rearrange the formula to solve for distance

We have the formula \( \text{S-P interval} = 0.001613 \times \text{distance to epicenter} \). To find the distance, we rearrange it to \( \text{distance to epicenter} = \frac{\text{S-P interval}}{0.001613} \).

Step2: Substitute the given S-P interval

The S-P interval is 5 minutes. Substitute this into the formula: \( \text{distance to epicenter} = \frac{5}{0.001613} \).

Step3: Calculate the distance

Calculate \( \frac{5}{0.001613} \approx 3100 \) (when we perform the division \( 5\div0.001613\approx3100 \)).

Answer:

3,100 km (the option with "3,100 km")