Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 722 · 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.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
2. 2.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
3. 3.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
4. 4.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
5. 5.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
6. 6.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
7. 7.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
8. 8.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
9. 9.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) keeping a simple shape (d) raising heavy tanks high
11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a light roof (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
12. 12.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is lighter (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is colourful
13. 13.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding cross bracing
15. 15.🏚️ Does using flexible joints 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
17. 17.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) hanging outside (c) on the very top (d) on a thin pole
18. 18.🏚️ 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 20 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 C (c) tower B
19. 19.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
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) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using a heavy roof
22. 22.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
23. 23.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
24. 24.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
26. 26.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
27. 27.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
28. 28.🏚️ 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 40 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
29. 29.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) making brittle joints
30. 30.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
32. 32.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) adding cross bracing (d) using flexible joints
33. 33.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using flexible joints
35. 35.🏚️ 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 280 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
36. 36.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they are cheap (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
37. 37.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
38. 38.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
39. 39.🏚️ 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 40 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
40. 40.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True

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