Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 559 · 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.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
2. 2.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a microscope (c) a shake table (d) a telescope
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow
4. 4.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
5. 5.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is taller (d) it is colourful
6. 6.🏚️ 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 240 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
7. 7.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
8. 8.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding cross bracing (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a light roof
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
10. 10.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
11. 11.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
12. 12.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) on a thin pole (d) low down
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) leaving out steel bars
14. 14.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
15. 15.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
16. 16.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
17. 17.🏚️ 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 20 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
18. 18.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
19. 19.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
20. 20.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) making brittle joints (c) using flexible joints (d) leaving out steel bars
21. 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding cross bracing (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
22. 22.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
23. 23.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
24. 24.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) adding cross bracing (d) using flexible joints
26. 26.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) having a wide base (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
27. 27.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
29. 29.🏚️ 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 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
30. 30.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
31. 31.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
32. 32.🏚️ 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 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
33. 33.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) keeping a simple shape (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) adding cross bracing
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 80 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
36. 36.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
37. 37.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
38. 38.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they stop shaking (c) they are cheap (d) they bend, not break
39. 39.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) building tall and narrow (d) having a wide base
40. 40.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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