Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 543 · 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.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
2. 2.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
3. 3.🏚️ 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 20 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
4. 4.🏚️ 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
5. 5.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
7. 7.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
8. 8.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using flexible joints (d) keeping a simple shape
9. 9.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
10. 10.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they look nice (c) they stop shaking (d) they are cheap
11. 11.🏚️ 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 10 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
12. 12.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
13. 13.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
14. 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) leaving out steel bars (c) adding cross bracing (d) having a wide base
15. 15.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
16. 16.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
17. 17.🏚️ 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 30 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
18. 18.🏚️ 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 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
19. 19.🏚️ 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 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 A (c) tower C
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) using a heavy roof (c) having a wide base (d) adding cross bracing
21. 21.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
23. 23.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
24. 24.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding cross bracing (c) using flexible joints (d) using a light roof
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) making brittle joints
26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) having a wide base
27. 27.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
28. 28.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
29. 29.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a light roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
30. 30.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
31. 31.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
32. 32.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
34. 34.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) adding steel to concrete
35. 35.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
36. 36.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
37. 37.🏚️ 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 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
38. 38.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) keeping a simple shape
40. 40.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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