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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 119 · 40 questions
TalentJR

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.

NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
  1. 1.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
  2. 2.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  3. 3.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding steel to concrete (c) leaving out steel bars (d) raising heavy tanks high
  4. 4.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 30 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 B (c) tower A
  5. 5.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
  6. 6.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  7. 7.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  10. 10.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they stop shaking (c) they look nice (d) they are cheap
  11. 11.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  12. 12.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) adding cross bracing
  14. 14.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  15. 15.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  17. 17.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  18. 18.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  19. 19.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  20. 20.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  21. 21.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  22. 22.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  23. 23.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is lighter
  24. 24.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  25. 25.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) making brittle joints
  27. 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
  28. 28.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
  32. 32.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
  33. 33.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  35. 35.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on a thin pole (c) on the very top (d) low down
  36. 36.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.🏚️ 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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  38. 38.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  39. 39.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow

Answer key

  1. having a wide base
  2. less safe
  3. adding steel to concrete
  4. tower A
  5. adding cross bracing
  6. tower B
  7. False
  8. False
  9. tower C
  10. they bend, not break
  11. safer in earthquakes
  12. False
  13. using a heavy roof
  14. less safe
  15. True
  16. tower C
  17. tower A
  18. tower C
  19. less safe
  20. safer in earthquakes
  21. tower B
  22. safer in earthquakes
  23. it is harder to tip over
  24. tower C
  25. tower A
  26. using a light roof
  27. fitting rubber base pads
  28. True
  29. False
  30. False
  31. using a heavy roof
  32. a shake table
  33. False
  34. tower C
  35. low down
  36. True
  37. tower C
  38. tower B
  39. True
  40. building tall and narrow

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