Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings
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.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) keeping a simple shape (c) having a wide base (d) adding steel to concrete
- 2.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) hanging outside (c) on the very top (d) on a thin pole
- 3.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 4.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding cross bracing (d) making brittle joints
- 6.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) leaving out steel bars
- 7.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they are cheap (c) they stop shaking (d) they look nice
- 8.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
- 9.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
- 10.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 11.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a heavy roof (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
- 13.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a light roof (d) adding steel to concrete
- 15.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 16.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
- 17.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 18.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 19.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 20.🏚️ 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 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
- 21.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is lighter (d) it is taller
- 22.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
- 23.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
- 24.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
- 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) raising heavy tanks high
- 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding cross bracing (d) keeping a simple shape
- 27.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 28.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 29.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
- 30.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 31.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
- 32.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 33.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 34.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
- 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) keeping a simple shape (d) making brittle joints
- 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) making brittle joints
- 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) having a wide base
- 38.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 39.🏚️ 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 20 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
- 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding cross bracing (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) having a wide base
Answer key
- leaving out steel bars
- low down
- safer in earthquakes
- safer in earthquakes
- adding cross bracing
- using flexible joints
- they bend, not break
- a shake table
- having a wide base
- True
- safer in earthquakes
- using flexible joints
- safer in earthquakes
- raising heavy tanks high
- less safe
- tower B
- True
- less safe
- less safe
- tower A
- it is harder to tip over
- tower A
- tower A
- leaving out steel bars
- adding steel to concrete
- stacking loose bricks
- False
- tower C
- adding steel to concrete
- safer in earthquakes
- tower B
- True
- less safe
- tower C
- keeping a simple shape
- fitting rubber base pads
- making brittle joints
- False
- tower B
- raising heavy tanks high
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