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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 238 · 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.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  2. 2.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
  3. 3.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on the very top
  4. 4.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
  5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
  6. 6.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a microscope (c) a telescope (d) a shake table
  7. 7.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  8. 8.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using flexible joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) stacking loose bricks
  9. 9.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
  11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding cross bracing (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a heavy roof
  12. 12.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
  13. 13.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) having a wide base (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) keeping a simple shape
  14. 14.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  15. 15.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  16. 16.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  17. 17.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  18. 18.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  19. 19.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 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 A (c) tower C
  20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) using a heavy roof
  21. 21.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  22. 22.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  23. 23.🏚️ Does having a wide base 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 a light roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) adding steel to concrete (d) stacking loose bricks
  25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) having a wide base (c) leaving out steel bars (d) raising heavy tanks high
  26. 26.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  28. 28.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  29. 29.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.🏚️ 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
  31. 31.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a light roof (d) building tall and narrow
  33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) leaving out steel bars
  34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) building tall and narrow (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
  35. 35.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) building tall and narrow
  38. 38.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🏚️ 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 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 C (c) tower B
  40. 40.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a light roof (c) using flexible joints (d) adding steel to concrete

Answer key

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

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