Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

1999 on the richter scale

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » The DU Lounge Donate to DU
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 01:52 PM
Original message
1999 on the richter scale
Edited on Wed Jan-05-05 02:15 PM by JVS
Does anyone remember the rap song and video that has as it's premise that at the turn of the year from 1999 to 2000 that an earthquake with the magnitude 1999 struck and the tectonic plates shifted so greatly that LA and NYC were pushed together to form one city, thereby ending the East/West coast schism within rap? I'd like to know the title and artists of that so I can show friends who don't believe me that the song exists.

Also, about an earthquake of 1999 on the richter scale: how powerful would it be?

Would it be too weak to result in that kind of plate motion, or would it be so powerful as to completely destroy all landmasses in the world leaving only dust or just blow up the world?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
PROGRESSIVE1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 01:54 PM
Response to Original message
1. a "1999" on the richter scale is impossible!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 01:55 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. Why?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Jesus H. Christ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 02:01 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. Richter scale is logarithmic.
A 9.0 is ten times more powerful than an 8.0.

A 1999 would be 10^1990 times more powerful than a 9.0

If you're not familiar with scientific notation, that's a one followed by 1990 zeroes.

As far as the song, I'm not sure. I haven't heard it. But I suspect it'd be by Bone Thugs N' Harmony. They have a sort of 1999 numerology thing going on.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 02:04 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. I know it is logarithmic and how that works and that it is extremely...
unlikely, but I still need a more specific reason to believe that it couldn't happen. You have only demonstrated that it would be an unimaginably powerful quake.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Jesus H. Christ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 02:12 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. I don't think you understand how big a number 10^1990 is.
That's more atoms than there are in the universe.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 02:15 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. But Earthquakes are based on energy, not matter
So would the energy of a 1999 quake be greater than the amount of energy in the universe? Actually let's just consider earth, is there enough potential energy on earth (we can consider matter as energy here) to generate that kind of energy?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Jesus H. Christ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 02:16 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. Richter scale is based on displacement, in microns.
But regardless, I doubt there'd be that much potential energy in the universe.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Jesus H. Christ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 02:26 PM
Response to Reply #8
11. Back of the envelope calculation.
So an earthquake of 1999 on the richter scale would mean a displacement of 10^1999 microns.

Or 10^1993 meters.

Or 10^1990 kilometers

There's about 9.5 trillion kilometers per light year, so that means roughly

10^1977 light years.

Now given that the universe is, let's say 30 billion light years in diameter (which is an overestitmate) then it'd be around 100 billion light years in circumference.

So an earthquake of 1999 would spin the earth around the outside of the universe:

10^1966 times.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 02:57 PM
Response to Reply #11
12. Cool!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
GOPBasher Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 03:04 PM
Response to Reply #11
13. I think Jesus H. Christ is right here.
I think Jesus (not to be confused with him of Nathareth that some people worship as God) is correct here. There's no way there's that much potential enery in earth, and I don't even think, as he stated, there's that much in the universe. I'm a physics teacher, not a geologist, but it is definitely impossible. Now, we need to stop talking about such technical things. There may be some Republicans lurking; this will make their brains explode! We don't want that.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 03:19 PM
Response to Reply #13
14. I am also convinced that it cannot happen now
Edited on Wed Jan-05-05 03:19 PM by JVS
But I'm glad we went through the figuring
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
SKKY Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 01:57 PM
Response to Original message
3. I think it's safe to say that, if there was an earthquake of 1999...
...on the richter scale, the earth would cease to be.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Az Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 02:17 PM
Response to Reply #3
9. That actualy might pierce Plank's constant
and bring the uninverse to an end.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
mark414 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 02:22 PM
Response to Original message
10. oh damn you're going to make my head explode
i know EXACTLY what you're talking about but i can't think of who it is
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-05-05 07:52 PM
Response to Reply #10
15. SOMEONE MUST KNOW!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
JVS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-06-05 12:56 AM
Response to Reply #15
16. kick
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Mon Apr 29th 2024, 09:38 PM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » The DU Lounge Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC