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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 670 · 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.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  2. 2.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using flexible joints
  3. 3.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  4. 4.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
  5. 5.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a light roof (d) leaving out steel bars
  6. 6.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
  7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
  8. 8.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a heavy roof
  11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
  12. 12.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  13. 13.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  15. 15.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  16. 16.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 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
  17. 17.🏚️ 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
  18. 18.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding steel to concrete
  20. 20.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  21. 21.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) stacking loose bricks
  23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) making brittle joints
  24. 24.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  26. 26.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they are cheap (c) they look nice (d) they stop shaking
  29. 29.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  31. 31.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  32. 32.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
  33. 33.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  34. 34.🏚️ 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 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  35. 35.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) making brittle joints (d) adding cross bracing
  37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
  38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a light roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) having a wide base
  39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) leaving out steel bars (d) building tall and narrow
  40. 40.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes

Answer key

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

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