Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 139 · 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.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
2. 2.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
3. 3.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
4. 4.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
5. 5.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
6. 6.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
7. 7.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
8. 8.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 40 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
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
10. 10.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they stop shaking (c) they are cheap (d) they look nice
11. 11.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
12. 12.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
13. 13.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a light roof (d) adding steel to concrete
15. 15.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
16. 16.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
17. 17.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
18. 18.🏚️ 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 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
19. 19.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) keeping a simple shape
20. 20.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) fitting rubber base pads
22. 22.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using flexible joints (d) leaving out steel bars
23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) using a light roof
24. 24.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
25. 25.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
26. 26.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
27. 27.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
29. 29.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) making brittle joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
30. 30.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) on a thin pole (d) low down
31. 31.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
32. 32.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.🏚️ 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 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
34. 34.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
35. 35.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
36. 36.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 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
37. 37.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
38. 38.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) making brittle joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a light roof
39. 39.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
40. 40.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is lighter (c) it is colourful (d) it is harder to tip over

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