Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 352 · 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
2. 2.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) making brittle joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
3. 3.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) using a light roof
4. 4.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
5. 5.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a heavy roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) building tall and narrow (c) leaving out steel bars (d) making brittle joints
8. 8.🏚️ 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 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) having a wide base
10. 10.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
11. 11.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
12. 12.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
13. 13.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
14. 14.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
15. 15.🏚️ 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
16. 16.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 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 A (c) tower B
17. 17.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using flexible joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using a heavy roof
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) using flexible joints
21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) using a light roof (d) stacking loose bricks
22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) having a wide base (c) adding cross bracing (d) using flexible joints
23. 23.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
24. 24.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding cross bracing (d) keeping a simple shape
26. 26.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) on the very top (c) low down (d) hanging outside
27. 27.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) adding steel to concrete (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a light roof
29. 29.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
30. 30.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
31. 31.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
32. 32.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a shake table (c) a telescope (d) a fridge
33. 33.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
34. 34.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
35. 35.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
36. 36.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
37. 37.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
38. 38.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
39. 39.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) making brittle joints

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