Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 5 · 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.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 160 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 20 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
2. 2.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 20 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using flexible joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a light roof
4. 4.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
5. 5.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
6. 6.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
7. 7.🏚️ 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 200 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
8. 8.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using flexible joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a heavy roof
9. 9.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) using a light roof
10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding cross bracing
11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) adding cross bracing
12. 12.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
13. 13.🏚️ 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 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) keeping a simple shape (d) making brittle joints
15. 15.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding cross bracing (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
17. 17.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding cross bracing (d) raising heavy tanks high
19. 19.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
20. 20.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) adding steel to concrete (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding cross bracing
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
23. 23.🏚️ 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 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
24. 24.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) on a thin pole (c) hanging outside (d) low down
25. 25.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
26. 26.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
27. 27.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using flexible joints
28. 28.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
29. 29.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) adding cross bracing (c) keeping a simple shape (d) having a wide base
30. 30.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they bend, not break (c) they look nice (d) they are cheap
31. 31.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is lighter (c) it is colourful (d) it is harder to tip over
32. 32.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
34. 34.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a fridge (c) a microscope (d) a shake table
35. 35.🏚️ 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 easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
36. 36.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) stacking loose bricks
38. 38.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
39. 39.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
40. 40.🏚️ 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 140 cm tall on a 20 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

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