Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 657 · 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.🏚️ 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 80 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
2. 2.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a light roof
4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) leaving out steel bars
5. 5.🏚️ 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
6. 6.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
7. 7.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
8. 8.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
9. 9.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
10. 10.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
11. 11.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 10 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
12. 12.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
13. 13.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
15. 15.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
16. 16.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
17. 17.🏚️ 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
18. 18.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 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 A (c) tower C
19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a light roof (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
21. 21.🏚️ 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
22. 22.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
23. 23.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
24. 24.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) adding cross bracing (d) making brittle joints
26. 26.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
27. 27.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) building tall and narrow (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a light roof
29. 29.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
30. 30.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a shake table (c) a telescope (d) a microscope
31. 31.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding steel to concrete (d) making brittle joints
32. 32.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) keeping a simple shape (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a light roof
33. 33.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
34. 34.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) leaving out steel bars
35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) making brittle joints (c) using a light roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
36. 36.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
39. 39.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
40. 40.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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