Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 650 · 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.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on a thin pole (c) low down (d) on the very top
2. 2.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding cross bracing (c) using flexible joints (d) stacking loose bricks
3. 3.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
4. 4.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
5. 5.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is taller (d) it is lighter
6. 6.🏚️ 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 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
7. 7.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
8. 8.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
9. 9.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
10. 10.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
11. 11.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) building tall and narrow (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
13. 13.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a light roof (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
15. 15.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
16. 16.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 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
17. 17.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
18. 18.🏚️ 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 100 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
19. 19.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 100 cm tall on a 20 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 easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
20. 20.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
21. 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a light roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
23. 23.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they look nice (d) they bend, not break
24. 24.🏚️ 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 240 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.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using flexible joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
26. 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) using a light roof
27. 27.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
28. 28.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
29. 29.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
30. 30.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 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 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
31. 31.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
32. 32.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
33. 33.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
34. 34.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 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
35. 35.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
37. 37.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
38. 38.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
39. 39.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a microscope (c) a shake table (d) a telescope
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) making brittle joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a light roof

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