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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 385 · 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 fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  2. 2.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is taller (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
  4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using flexible joints
  5. 5.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  6. 6.🏚️ 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 120 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 C (c) tower B
  7. 7.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
  8. 8.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a microscope (c) a telescope (d) a fridge
  9. 9.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
  10. 10.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using flexible joints (d) adding cross bracing
  11. 11.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  12. 12.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 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
  13. 13.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 50 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 A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  14. 14.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they are cheap (c) they bend, not break (d) they stop shaking
  15. 15.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
  17. 17.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) making brittle joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
  19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks
  20. 20.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) making brittle joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) stacking loose bricks
  22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
  23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) leaving out steel bars (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
  24. 24.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  25. 25.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  26. 26.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  27. 27.🏚️ 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 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  28. 28.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) making brittle joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) raising heavy tanks high
  31. 31.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  32. 32.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a heavy roof (d) using flexible joints
  33. 33.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  35. 35.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on a thin pole (c) low down (d) on the very top
  36. 36.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  37. 37.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using flexible joints
  38. 38.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  40. 40.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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