Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 595 · 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.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is colourful (d) it is taller
2. 2.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
3. 3.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
4. 4.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
5. 5.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
7. 7.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
8. 8.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding steel to concrete (c) keeping a simple shape (d) fitting rubber base pads
10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) keeping a simple shape (d) adding steel to concrete
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 40 cm tall on a 20 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 A (c) tower B
12. 12.🏚️ 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
13. 13.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
14. 14.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
15. 15.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
16. 16.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) leaving out steel bars (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
17. 17.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
18. 18.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 20 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
19. 19.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
20. 20.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
21. 21.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
22. 22.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
23. 23.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) keeping a simple shape (d) making brittle joints
24. 24.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
26. 26.🏚️ 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 320 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
27. 27.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
28. 28.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
29. 29.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a shake table (c) a fridge (d) a telescope
30. 30.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.🏚️ 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 10 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
33. 33.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
34. 34.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a light roof
36. 36.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
37. 37.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
38. 38.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 280 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
39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding cross bracing (d) having a wide base
40. 40.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete

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