Peak ground acceleration

Hey kiddo! Have you ever experienced an earthquake or seen it on TV? Peak ground acceleration is the measurement of how much the ground shakes during an earthquake.

Think about it like this: when you jump up and down on a trampoline, it shakes and moves, right? That's kind of what happens when the earth moves during an earthquake. But instead of just moving up and down, it can also move side to side, and sometimes it can even make the ground roll like a wave.

Peak ground acceleration measures how strong those movements are during an earthquake. Scientists use machines called seismometers to measure the shaking. The higher the number, the stronger the shaking is.

It's important for scientists to measure peak ground acceleration because it helps them understand how an earthquake will affect buildings, roads, and other structures. Some structures can handle a lot of shaking, while others can't. So by measuring peak ground acceleration, scientists can help make sure that buildings and other structures are built to be strong enough to withstand earthquakes.