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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 445 · 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.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  2. 2.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
  4. 4.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  5. 5.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  6. 6.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a fridge (c) a telescope (d) a shake table
  7. 7.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding cross bracing (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
  8. 8.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  9. 9.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) having a wide base (c) adding steel to concrete (d) fitting rubber base pads
  10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) having a wide base
  11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding cross bracing
  12. 12.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a light roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) adding steel to concrete
  13. 13.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  14. 14.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  15. 15.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) making brittle joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a light roof
  17. 17.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a heavy roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) leaving out steel bars
  18. 18.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
  20. 20.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  21. 21.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) low down (c) on a thin pole (d) hanging outside
  22. 22.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  23. 23.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they look nice (c) they bend, not break (d) they are cheap
  24. 24.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is taller (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is lighter
  25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
  26. 26.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding steel to concrete (c) having a wide base (d) using flexible joints
  29. 29.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
  30. 30.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 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
  31. 31.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) raising heavy tanks high
  32. 32.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) leaving out steel bars (c) having a wide base (d) raising heavy tanks high
  34. 34.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  35. 35.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using flexible joints (d) leaving out steel bars
  36. 36.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
  37. 37.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  38. 38.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  40. 40.🏚️ 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 40 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

Answer key

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

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