Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 11 · 40 questions

Engineer's tip (Low, wide, flexible): Safer: wide base, flexible joints, bracing, steel in concrete, light roof, rubber pads, simple shape. Less safe: heavy tops, narrow bases, loose bricks, no steel, brittle joints. Tipping: compare height ÷ base width — the smaller it is, the steadier the block.

1. 1.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
2. 2.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
3. 3.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) making brittle joints (d) building tall and narrow
5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using flexible joints
6. 6.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on a thin pole
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
8. 8.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
9. 9.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
10. 10.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a light roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) fitting rubber base pads
11. 11.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a light roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a heavy roof
13. 13.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
14. 14.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they are cheap (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
15. 15.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) adding steel to concrete
17. 17.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a light roof (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
18. 18.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
20. 20.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
21. 21.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a microscope (c) a telescope (d) a shake table
22. 22.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
23. 23.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
25. 25.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
26. 26.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
27. 27.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
28. 28.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
29. 29.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
31. 31.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using flexible joints (d) adding steel to concrete
32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
33. 33.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
34. 34.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
35. 35.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
36. 36.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
37. 37.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
38. 38.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
39. 39.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding steel to concrete (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
40. 40.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks

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