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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 264 · 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.🏚️ 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
  2. 2.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they look nice (d) they bend, not break
  3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using flexible joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
  4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
  5. 5.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  7. 7.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is colourful (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is taller
  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.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  10. 10.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  12. 12.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) having a wide base
  14. 14.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  15. 15.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) building tall and narrow (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) making brittle joints
  17. 17.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) building tall and narrow (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
  18. 18.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  19. 19.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  20. 20.🏚️ 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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  21. 21.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  22. 22.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) adding steel to concrete (d) building tall and narrow
  23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
  24. 24.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) making brittle joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
  25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) keeping a simple shape
  26. 26.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  27. 27.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  29. 29.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 30 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
  30. 30.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
  32. 32.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  34. 34.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a telescope (c) a shake table (d) a microscope
  35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) using a heavy roof (c) having a wide base (d) fitting rubber base pads
  36. 36.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) adding steel to concrete (d) building tall and narrow
  37. 37.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  38. 38.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding cross bracing
  40. 40.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) leaving out steel bars (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using a heavy roof

Answer key

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

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