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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 307 · 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.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) making brittle joints (d) leaving out steel bars
  5. 5.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) having a wide base
  7. 7.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  8. 8.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a light roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
  9. 9.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) using a heavy roof
  10. 10.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is taller (c) it is colourful (d) it is harder to tip over
  11. 11.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  12. 12.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  13. 13.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  14. 14.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  15. 15.🏚️ 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 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) having a wide base (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
  17. 17.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  18. 18.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they stop shaking (c) they look nice (d) they are cheap
  19. 19.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
  21. 21.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  23. 23.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high 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) using a light roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
  25. 25.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) on the very top (c) hanging outside (d) on a thin pole
  26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding steel to concrete (d) building tall and narrow
  27. 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) adding cross bracing
  28. 28.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) keeping a simple shape
  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 160 cm tall on a 40 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
  30. 30.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) building tall and narrow
  31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
  32. 32.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  33. 33.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  34. 34.🏚️ 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 30 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  35. 35.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  39. 39.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
  40. 40.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C

Answer key

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

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