Using the properties of logarithms, it is found that the earthquake in Japan in 2011 was 12.92 times more severe.
As given in the problem, the intensities of the earthquakes are given by logarithms of base 10. Then, supposing that the intensities are [tex]R_1, R_2 > 0, R_1 > R_2[/tex], the ratio of the intensities is given by:
[tex]10^{\frac{R_1}{R_2}}[/tex]
The intensities for this problem are [tex]R_1 = 9, R_2 = 8.1[/tex], hence the ratio is:
[tex]10^{\frac{9}{8.1}} = 12.92[/tex]
The earthquake in Japan in 2011 was 12.92 times more severe.
More can be learned about logarithms at brainly.com/question/20719486
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