Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 7 · 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.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
2. 2.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
3. 3.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
4. 4.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
5. 5.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) having a wide base (c) keeping a simple shape (d) leaving out steel bars
6. 6.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) having a wide base (c) adding cross bracing (d) stacking loose bricks
7. 7.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
8. 8.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they bend, not break (c) they look nice (d) they stop shaking
9. 9.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a fridge (c) a microscope (d) a telescope
10. 10.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
11. 11.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
12. 12.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a light roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a heavy roof
13. 13.🏚️ 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 10 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
14. 14.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) making brittle joints
16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a light roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) keeping a simple shape
17. 17.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks
19. 19.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) having a wide base (d) making brittle joints
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a light roof (d) adding steel to concrete
21. 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) raising heavy tanks high
22. 22.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
23. 23.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 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 C (c) tower B
24. 24.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a heavy roof
25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding cross bracing
26. 26.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
27. 27.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow
29. 29.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
30. 30.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 40 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
31. 31.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 240 cm tall on a 40 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
32. 32.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is colourful (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is taller
33. 33.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
34. 34.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
35. 35.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
36. 36.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 100 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
38. 38.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) fitting rubber base pads
39. 39.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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