Richter Scale

[Matheous-2]

My apologies if the spelling is incorrect....
Can anyone tell me when the scale was first used to measure the violence of earthquakes please?

[mibn2cweus]

Scrivens not only answered the question (in a timely manner) but provided a link to a source that supports his answer as well. Both Scrivens and Matheous-2 are using this site correctly for the purpose it was intended, which is more than can be said for certain other 'contributors'.

People like Scrivens and Matheous-2 are why this site exists at all and why I enjoy coming to AB when I simply feel a desire to expand the scope of my own knowledge of information in subject matter that is of interest to the general public or to share such knowledge as I have accumulated in the process.

Thank you both for making this a more worthwhile place to visit.

[jim360]

Certain other contributors are also using the site to impart advice on how Matheous might want to answer his own questions in future. To coin a phrase, "You give OP an answer, you feed his knowledge for a day. You teach him how to find the answer himself, and you feed his knowledge for a lifetime."

[bednobs]

Balls, if matheous knew the answer to the question, but just needed prompting for the answer to pop in his head, i'd be very surprised. And then we are back to JNO's original point - if you have to search for the answer on a website anyway, what makes google/wiki so superior to here?

[jim360]

I think of google as similar to a calculator in some respects. You can use it yourself, or ask someone to use it for you. I know which one I think shows a bit more respect.

What is wrong with encouraging people to find out the answer for themselves whenever it's possible? A question like this is easy to research and finding the answer took almost less time than asking the question would have.

When people ask a question which requires genuine experience of the field, or specialist knowledge, I'm only too happy to provide extensive and hopefully informative answers. New Judge is the same. When someone asks a question that is not too far removed from "can you google this for me?" I'm not quite so pleased. I think it's worth encouraging people to do some things for themselves when possible. And this is one of those times. I make no apology for saying that. Matheous shouldn't apologise for asking the question, but perhaps in future the idea of trying to find the answer himself will be more beneficial than coming to some site like this to ask for the answer to a pub quiz question.

[bednobs]

why will it be more beneficial though? He got the same answer as he would have done had he looked at wiki/google himself. So the net result is the same (except of course there is something in the exchange that gives the answerer a sense of satisfaction too probably; at least until he was told off!) There was someone willing to look it up for him. If you are saying it's disrespectful to ask questions on a question and answer site, i think we'll just have to differ

[gness]

You know when the kid asks a question and the teacher says...go and look it up for yourself?

Oh I hate that!! Really hate it!! Never did that to mine or the kids at school....much more fun and beneficial to share and discuss the finding out.....☺☺

[bednobs]

also i think it incredibly unlikely that matheous DOESN'T know about google, so in fact what wisdom has been imparted here?
It seems to me that it's someone just saying "i think you are lazy and disrespectful" in a "nice" way!

[jim360]

Being a teacher in a classroom and being on a computer are two different environments. On most if not all browsers these days you can search the web in the same place you searched for answerbank.

Anyway, research is an important skill, I think it's worth encouraging it. And research doesn't mean: "ask someone else to do the research for me". Oh well.

[gness]

But research can be sharing and giving others the opportunity to share in the learning, Jim. Of course research is important. But I taught mine by researching with them. Didn't send them off to flounder in the library.

And any teacher who says.....go and find out for yourself....probably just doesn't know and can't be bothered to feed the inquisitiveness....

There was a time when I had to phone the daughter to look something up for me because I was so dense on the computer....☺

As you can tell.......I'm still poorly, cranky and the cricket hasn't cheered me..... :-(

[jim360]

There are a few times when teachers/ teaching assistants at University have started to answer a request for help by stalling because they've not seen the problem themselves... that's always an interesting moment.

Hope you feel better soon -- and yes, the cricket is a bit of a downer. I went to bed yesterday with England at 65-1... and wake up to 179 all out??!?!?!?!

[gness]

Jim...I followed the game by hearing the growls and groans from the daughter's room.....a long night....xx

[New Judge]

Cricket is a great healer.

Can anyone tell me the score?

Oops !!!!! :-)

[gness]

New Judge will be missing for some time....Gness.

[bednobs]

i have often thought (when viewing a question) "i don't know" and nearly put that as an answer befpore realising how bloody useless that is. Anyway, now EVERYONE on this thread knows when the Richter scale was first used :)

[jim360]

No -- if people ask questions I'll answer them, and I certainly don't want to make a habit of saying "go look for yourself you lazy so-and-so". I wouldn't have said anything but NJ did so...

[gness]

Not knowing and saying so is not useless...like I said before....learning by sharing on here is a lot better than googling on your own....and no....that's not a euphemism!

[whiskeryron]

Just to point out to you, some folks need a hand because they just do not know '' how to Google'' & we all have to learn.

WR.

[Frank97]

I like looking up things for other people, it's one of the things that attracts me to this site. Of course, by the time I have, somebody has usually posted the answer, as was the case with this question. That doesn't really bother me though, just means I've learnt something new, if I can remember it, that it. :)

[Frank97]

that it ? that is