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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 424 · 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.

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

Answer key

  1. True
  2. False
  3. less safe
  4. fitting rubber base pads
  5. building tall and narrow
  6. keeping a simple shape
  7. True
  8. tower C
  9. False
  10. safer in earthquakes
  11. False
  12. tower A
  13. True
  14. less safe
  15. False
  16. tower B
  17. safer in earthquakes
  18. raising heavy tanks high
  19. keeping a simple shape
  20. a shake table
  21. False
  22. tower A
  23. low down
  24. False
  25. tower C
  26. raising heavy tanks high
  27. False
  28. using flexible joints
  29. stacking loose bricks
  30. making brittle joints
  31. stacking loose bricks
  32. tower C
  33. True
  34. False
  35. adding steel to concrete
  36. tower B
  37. it is harder to tip over
  38. tower A
  39. tower A
  40. less safe

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