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.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they are cheap (c) they bend, not break (d) they stop shaking
- 2.🏚️ 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
- 3.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
- 4.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) making brittle joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
- 5.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 6.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 7.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 8.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 9.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
- 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) adding steel to concrete
- 11.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) using flexible joints (d) leaving out steel bars
- 12.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on the very top
- 13.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 14.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 210 cm tall on a 30 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 C (c) tower A
- 15.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) building tall and narrow
- 16.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) having a wide base (c) keeping a simple shape (d) adding steel to concrete
- 18.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a microscope (c) a telescope (d) a shake table
- 19.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 20.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding steel to concrete
- 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) using flexible joints
- 23.🏚️ 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 40 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 24.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) having a wide base (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
- 25.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 26.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 27.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) building tall and narrow (d) having a wide base
- 28.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 29.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 30.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
- 31.🏚️ 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 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 A (c) tower C
- 32.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
- 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using flexible joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a heavy roof
- 34.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding cross bracing
- 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) using a light roof
- 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
- 37.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 38.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 39.🏚️ 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 80 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
- 40.🏚️ 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 140 cm tall on a 20 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
Answer key
- they bend, not break
- it is harder to tip over
- tower A
- fitting rubber base pads
- tower A
- safer in earthquakes
- True
- less safe
- tower B
- making brittle joints
- using flexible joints
- low down
- True
- tower C
- using a light roof
- safer in earthquakes
- leaving out steel bars
- a shake table
- False
- safer in earthquakes
- adding steel to concrete
- using a heavy roof
- tower C
- leaving out steel bars
- less safe
- safer in earthquakes
- building tall and narrow
- False
- safer in earthquakes
- tower B
- tower B
- tower C
- using flexible joints
- adding cross bracing
- using a light roof
- having a wide base
- False
- less safe
- tower A
- tower A
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