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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 429 · 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 is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) keeping a simple shape (c) building tall and narrow (d) leaving out steel bars
  2. 2.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using a heavy roof (c) having a wide base (d) using flexible joints
  3. 3.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they bend, not break (c) they stop shaking (d) they are cheap
  4. 4.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
  7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
  8. 8.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  9. 9.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 120 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
  10. 10.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
  11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) keeping a simple shape (c) having a wide base (d) using flexible joints
  12. 12.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  13. 13.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  14. 14.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is colourful (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is taller
  15. 15.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a light roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
  16. 16.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
  17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
  18. 18.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) on the very top (c) on a thin pole (d) hanging outside
  19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) having a wide base (d) building tall and narrow
  20. 20.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 10 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 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  21. 21.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 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
  23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) making brittle joints
  24. 24.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  25. 25.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) using a heavy roof
  27. 27.🏚️ 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 40 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding cross bracing
  29. 29.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  30. 30.🏚️ 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 180 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  31. 31.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  33. 33.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  34. 34.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) leaving out steel bars (d) raising heavy tanks high
  36. 36.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  38. 38.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 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
  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 120 cm tall on a 40 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
  40. 40.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A

Answer key

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

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