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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 40 · 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.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
  2. 2.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  3. 3.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  4. 4.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) building tall and narrow (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) keeping a simple shape
  6. 6.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
  8. 8.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  9. 9.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  10. 10.🏚️ 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 20 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
  11. 11.🏚️ 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 160 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  12. 12.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is lighter (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is colourful
  13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) having a wide base (c) using flexible joints (d) adding steel to concrete
  14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) building tall and narrow (c) making brittle joints (d) adding steel to concrete
  15. 15.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) adding cross bracing (d) making brittle joints
  17. 17.🏚️ 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
  18. 18.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  20. 20.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  22. 22.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  25. 25.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  26. 26.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) adding steel to concrete (d) making brittle joints
  29. 29.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding steel to concrete (d) having a wide base
  30. 30.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
  32. 32.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  33. 33.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) making brittle joints
  35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding steel to concrete (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using flexible joints
  36. 36.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  37. 37.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) making brittle joints
  39. 39.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 210 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  40. 40.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) low down (c) hanging outside (d) on a thin pole

Answer key

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

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