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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 786 · 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.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) stacking loose bricks (d) fitting rubber base pads
  2. 2.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) adding steel to concrete (c) having a wide base (d) using flexible joints
  3. 3.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape 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 70 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 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 C (c) tower A
  5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) having a wide base (c) using flexible joints (d) keeping a simple shape
  6. 6.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  8. 8.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  9. 9.🏚️ 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
  10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) stacking loose bricks (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a heavy roof
  11. 11.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) stacking loose bricks
  13. 13.🏚️ 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 10 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  14. 14.🏚️ 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
  15. 15.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) having a wide base (d) raising heavy tanks high
  17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
  18. 18.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  19. 19.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  20. 20.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) keeping a simple shape (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) making brittle joints
  22. 22.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  23. 23.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  25. 25.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  26. 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a heavy roof
  27. 27.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  28. 28.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  29. 29.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.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) raising heavy tanks high
  31. 31.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) making brittle joints (d) keeping a simple shape
  32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) stacking loose bricks
  33. 33.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
  34. 34.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a shake table (c) a fridge (d) a telescope
  35. 35.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  36. 36.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  37. 37.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  40. 40.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C

Answer key

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

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