"What emerged, of course, was that the magnitude scale presupposed that all earthquakes were alike except for a constant scaling factor. And this proved to be closer to the truth than we expected"

This quote by Charles Francis Richter is referring to the development of the Richter magnitude scale, which was created to measure the magnitude of earthquakes. The quote recommends that the Richter magnitude scale was based upon the presumption that all earthquakes were comparable, other than for a scaling factor. This assumption was surprisingly accurate, as the Richter magnitude scale proved to be a reputable and accurate method to measure the magnitude of earthquakes. This quote highlights the significance of the Richter magnitude scale in comprehending the magnitude of earthquakes, and how it was based upon an assumption that was remarkably precise.