Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

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

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