Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 781 · 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.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
2. 2.🏚️ 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 60 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
3. 3.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
4. 4.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
5. 5.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
6. 6.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) making brittle joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) leaving out steel bars
7. 7.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a heavy roof
8. 8.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
9. 9.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on a thin pole (c) on the very top (d) low down
10. 10.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they are cheap (c) they stop shaking (d) they bend, not break
11. 11.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding steel to concrete (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
13. 13.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) leaving out steel bars (c) adding cross bracing (d) using flexible joints
14. 14.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is harder to tip over (b) it is lighter (c) it is colourful (d) it is taller
15. 15.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) making brittle joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a light roof
16. 16.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
17. 17.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
18. 18.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
19. 19.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) adding cross bracing (d) building tall and narrow
21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) fitting rubber base pads
23. 23.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
24. 24.🏚️ 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 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
25. 25.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
26. 26.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
27. 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding cross bracing (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using flexible joints
28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) having a wide base
29. 29.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
30. 30.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
31. 31.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
32. 32.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
33. 33.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
34. 34.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a heavy roof (c) using a light roof (d) building tall and narrow
36. 36.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
37. 37.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
38. 38.🏚️ 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 280 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
39. 39.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) having a wide base (c) using flexible joints (d) adding cross bracing

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