Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 798 · 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.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) making brittle joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
4. 4.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
5. 5.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
6. 6.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) keeping a simple shape
8. 8.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
9. 9.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 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 easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) leaving out steel bars
11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
12. 12.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
13. 13.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they look nice (c) they stop shaking (d) they bend, not break
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.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
17. 17.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
18. 18.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
19. 19.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
20. 20.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a shake table (c) a telescope (d) a microscope
21. 21.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) using a light roof
22. 22.🏚️ 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 160 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
23. 23.🏚️ 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 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
24. 24.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
26. 26.🏚️ 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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
27. 27.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
28. 28.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
29. 29.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is harder to tip over (b) it is taller (c) it is colourful (d) it is lighter
30. 30.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on a thin pole (c) low down (d) on the very top
31. 31.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
32. 32.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
34. 34.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 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
35. 35.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
36. 36.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
37. 37.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using flexible joints
38. 38.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
39. 39.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) keeping a simple shape (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
40. 40.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe

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