Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 136 · 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
2. 2.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
4. 4.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is colourful (d) it is lighter
5. 5.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) stacking loose bricks (d) raising heavy tanks high
7. 7.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
8. 8.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
9. 9.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) having a wide base (d) building tall and narrow
11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
12. 12.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
13. 13.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
14. 14.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
15. 15.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof 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) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a heavy roof (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
18. 18.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
20. 20.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
21. 21.🏚️ 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
22. 22.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
23. 23.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
24. 24.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
25. 25.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) keeping a simple shape (d) making brittle joints
27. 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding cross bracing
28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using flexible joints (d) adding cross bracing
29. 29.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a light roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) having a wide base
30. 30.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using flexible joints (c) making brittle joints (d) having a wide base
31. 31.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
32. 32.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using flexible joints
33. 33.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
34. 34.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
35. 35.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding cross bracing
36. 36.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
37. 37.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
38. 38.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they look nice (c) they are cheap (d) they stop shaking
39. 39.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a shake table
40. 40.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C

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