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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 206 · 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.

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  1. 1.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using flexible joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a light roof
  2. 2.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) leaving out steel bars (c) making brittle joints (d) building tall and narrow
  4. 4.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  6. 6.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) adding cross bracing (d) stacking loose bricks
  8. 8.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
  11. 11.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks
  12. 12.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
  13. 13.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  15. 15.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using flexible joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a light roof
  16. 16.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  17. 17.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) on a thin pole (c) hanging outside (d) low down
  18. 18.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  19. 19.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high 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) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) stacking loose bricks
  21. 21.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) keeping a simple shape (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) having a wide base
  23. 23.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  24. 24.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a light roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) leaving out steel bars
  25. 25.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they bend, not break (c) they are cheap (d) they stop shaking
  27. 27.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
  28. 28.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  29. 29.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  30. 30.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  31. 31.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  32. 32.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
  34. 34.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) having a wide base (c) keeping a simple shape (d) adding steel to concrete
  35. 35.🔍 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
  36. 36.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding cross bracing
  37. 37.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  39. 39.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table

Answer key

  1. leaving out steel bars
  2. safer in earthquakes
  3. keeping a simple shape
  4. False
  5. tower A
  6. False
  7. stacking loose bricks
  8. False
  9. True
  10. having a wide base
  11. using flexible joints
  12. adding steel to concrete
  13. False
  14. tower B
  15. raising heavy tanks high
  16. safer in earthquakes
  17. low down
  18. tower B
  19. less safe
  20. fitting rubber base pads
  21. True
  22. making brittle joints
  23. safer in earthquakes
  24. leaving out steel bars
  25. False
  26. they bend, not break
  27. fitting rubber base pads
  28. tower B
  29. less safe
  30. less safe
  31. less safe
  32. safer in earthquakes
  33. using flexible joints
  34. making brittle joints
  35. having a wide base
  36. adding cross bracing
  37. True
  38. tower B
  39. False
  40. a shake table

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