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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 598 · 40 questions
TalentJR

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. 1.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a heavy roof (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
  2. 2.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) stacking loose bricks (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a heavy roof
  4. 4.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) fitting rubber base pads
  5. 5.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) on the very top (c) hanging outside (d) low down
  6. 6.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  7. 7.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  8. 8.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a heavy roof
  10. 10.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a fridge
  13. 13.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is colourful (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
  14. 14.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) leaving out steel bars (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using flexible joints
  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 40 cm tall on a 40 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 C (c) tower B
  18. 18.🏚️ 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
  19. 19.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 30 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 C (c) tower A
  20. 20.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  22. 22.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  23. 23.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 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 B (c) tower A
  25. 25.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) adding cross bracing (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using flexible joints
  26. 26.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) adding steel to concrete (d) making brittle joints
  27. 27.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks
  29. 29.🏚️ 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 210 cm tall on a 30 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
  30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
  31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a light roof (d) leaving out steel bars
  32. 32.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding cross bracing
  33. 33.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  34. 34.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  35. 35.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  36. 36.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 50 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  37. 37.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
  39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) having a wide base (d) building tall and narrow
  40. 40.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks

Answer key

  1. using flexible joints
  2. True
  3. adding steel to concrete
  4. building tall and narrow
  5. low down
  6. safer in earthquakes
  7. safer in earthquakes
  8. safer in earthquakes
  9. adding steel to concrete
  10. True
  11. False
  12. a shake table
  13. it is harder to tip over
  14. False
  15. tower B
  16. leaving out steel bars
  17. tower C
  18. they bend, not break
  19. tower B
  20. True
  21. less safe
  22. safer in earthquakes
  23. False
  24. tower B
  25. stacking loose bricks
  26. making brittle joints
  27. safer in earthquakes
  28. adding cross bracing
  29. tower C
  30. keeping a simple shape
  31. leaving out steel bars
  32. stacking loose bricks
  33. less safe
  34. less safe
  35. tower A
  36. tower C
  37. safer in earthquakes
  38. adding cross bracing
  39. having a wide base
  40. keeping a simple shape

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