Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 185 · 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.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a microscope (c) a telescope (d) a fridge
2. 2.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a heavy roof
4. 4.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 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 A (c) tower C
5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a heavy roof (c) having a wide base (d) keeping a simple shape
6. 6.🏚️ 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
7. 7.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
8. 8.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
9. 9.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
10. 10.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
11. 11.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
12. 12.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
13. 13.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) making brittle joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a heavy roof
14. 14.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
15. 15.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) adding cross bracing (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a light roof
17. 17.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
18. 18.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a heavy roof
19. 19.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) keeping a simple shape (d) having a wide base
21. 21.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
22. 22.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
23. 23.True or false: raising heavy tanks high 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
25. 25.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
26. 26.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
27. 27.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
29. 29.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
30. 30.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is taller
31. 31.🏚️ 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
32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) stacking loose bricks
33. 33.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
34. 34.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a light roof
35. 35.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a light roof (d) building tall and narrow
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
39. 39.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding steel to concrete (c) leaving out steel bars (d) keeping a simple shape
40. 40.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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