Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 413 · 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.🏚️ 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
2. 2.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a shake table
3. 3.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
4. 4.🏚️ 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 70 cm tall on a 10 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 C (c) tower A
5. 5.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) leaving out steel bars (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) building tall and narrow
6. 6.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they look nice (c) they are cheap (d) they stop shaking
7. 7.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
8. 8.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
9. 9.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding cross bracing
10. 10.🏚️ 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 20 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
11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
12. 12.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
13. 13.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
14. 14.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 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
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
16. 16.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
17. 17.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
18. 18.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
19. 19.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
20. 20.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
21. 21.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
22. 22.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
23. 23.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
25. 25.🏚️ 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 100 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
26. 26.🏚️ 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 180 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 B (c) tower C
27. 27.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
29. 29.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
30. 30.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) adding cross bracing
32. 32.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
34. 34.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
35. 35.🏚️ 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 30 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
36. 36.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) leaving out steel bars (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) building tall and narrow
37. 37.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) stacking loose bricks
39. 39.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe

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