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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 601 · 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 is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
  2. 2.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) using a light roof (d) using a heavy roof
  3. 3.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
  4. 4.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) adding cross bracing (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding steel to concrete
  5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding cross bracing (c) making brittle joints (d) adding steel to concrete
  6. 6.🏚️ 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
  7. 7.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  8. 8.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) making brittle joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
  10. 10.🏚️ 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
  11. 11.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  13. 13.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) low down (c) on the very top (d) hanging outside
  16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
  17. 17.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a fridge (c) a shake table (d) a telescope
  18. 18.🏚️ 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 30 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) adding cross bracing
  20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a light roof (d) adding steel to concrete
  21. 21.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  22. 22.🏚️ 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 320 cm tall on a 40 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 B (c) tower C
  23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) using flexible joints
  24. 24.🏚️ 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 120 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  25. 25.🏚️ 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 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  26. 26.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  27. 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) making brittle joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
  28. 28.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  29. 29.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  30. 30.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  31. 31.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) making brittle joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) raising heavy tanks high
  32. 32.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) adding cross bracing (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
  33. 33.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  35. 35.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  36. 36.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  37. 37.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  38. 38.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  40. 40.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B

Answer key

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

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