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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 702 · 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.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is harder to tip over (b) it is colourful (c) it is taller (d) it is lighter
  2. 2.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
  3. 3.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  4. 4.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  5. 5.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they bend, not break (c) they stop shaking (d) they are cheap
  6. 6.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  7. 7.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a light roof
  8. 8.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🏚️ 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 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
  11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) having a wide base (d) using a light roof
  12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) leaving out steel bars (c) having a wide base (d) fitting rubber base pads
  13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) leaving out steel bars (d) raising heavy tanks high
  14. 14.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using flexible joints
  16. 16.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) adding cross bracing (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
  18. 18.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
  19. 19.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  20. 20.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
  21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding cross bracing
  22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) building tall and narrow
  23. 23.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  24. 24.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  25. 25.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  26. 26.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  27. 27.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding steel to concrete (d) fitting rubber base pads
  28. 28.🏚️ 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 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  29. 29.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding steel to concrete
  30. 30.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  32. 32.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) low down (c) on the very top (d) on a thin pole
  35. 35.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  36. 36.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  37. 37.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a fridge (c) a shake table (d) a microscope
  39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) building tall and narrow
  40. 40.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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