How can one differentiate a seismograph and the Richter scale?

They are not the same thing. A seismograph is a tool which measures movement. The Richter scale describes the intensity of an earthquake. So there is a relationship - the seismographic readings will display the intensity at a certain location. The 'Richter' number is a measure of the total energy released by the earthquake. read more

Whereas, Richter scale is a base-10 logarithmic scale, which defines magnitude as the logarithm of the ratio of the amplitude of the seismic waves to an arbitrary, minor amplitude. Or Seismograph(Instrument) is used to calculate the magnitude in Richter Scale(Unit). read more

Key Difference: A seismograph is any instrument that measures motions of the ground, including those of seismic waves generated by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other seismic sources. While, the Richter scale is a scale, ranging from 1 to 10, for indicating the intensity of an earthquake. read more

The Richter scale is a standard scale used to compare earthquakes. It is a logarithmic scale, meaning that the numbers on the scale measure factors of 10. So, for example, an earthquake that measures 4.0 on the Richter scale is 10 times larger than one that measures 3.0. read more