Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 255 · 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 240 cm tall on a 40 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 A (c) tower C
2. 2.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) keeping a simple shape (d) adding steel to concrete
3. 3.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
4. 4.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
5. 5.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) on the very top (c) hanging outside (d) low down
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) making brittle joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
7. 7.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a light roof
8. 8.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a fridge
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) making brittle joints
10. 10.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
11. 11.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
13. 13.🏚️ 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
14. 14.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
15. 15.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
16. 16.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
18. 18.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 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 A (c) tower B
19. 19.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
20. 20.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads 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 safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
23. 23.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
24. 24.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a heavy roof (d) using flexible joints
25. 25.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
26. 26.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 100 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
27. 27.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
28. 28.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
29. 29.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
30. 30.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they bend, not break (c) they stop shaking (d) they look nice
31. 31.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
32. 32.🏚️ 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 200 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
33. 33.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
34. 34.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a heavy roof
35. 35.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
36. 36.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using flexible joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) building tall and narrow
38. 38.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) keeping a simple shape
39. 39.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using flexible joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) stacking loose bricks
40. 40.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes

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