Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 806 · 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.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
2. 2.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) keeping a simple shape (c) having a wide base (d) fitting rubber base pads
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.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using flexible joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
7. 7.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
8. 8.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
9. 9.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 320 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
10. 10.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
11. 11.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
12. 12.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
13. 13.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) adding cross bracing
15. 15.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) making brittle joints
16. 16.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
17. 17.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding cross bracing (d) making brittle joints
18. 18.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
19. 19.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) making brittle joints
21. 21.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
22. 22.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 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
23. 23.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
24. 24.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
25. 25.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
26. 26.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
27. 27.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
28. 28.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
29. 29.🏚️ 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
30. 30.🏚️ 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
31. 31.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 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 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
32. 32.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 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.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 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 B (c) tower C
34. 34.🏚️ 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 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
35. 35.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
36. 36.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) using a heavy roof
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a heavy roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) leaving out steel bars
39. 39.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
40. 40.🏚️ 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

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