Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 873 · 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.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they look nice (c) they bend, not break (d) they stop shaking
2. 2.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a heavy roof
4. 4.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
5. 5.🏚️ 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 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
6. 6.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding steel to concrete (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
8. 8.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
9. 9.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a telescope (c) a shake table (d) a microscope
10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
11. 11.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
12. 12.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) on a thin pole (c) hanging outside (d) on the very top
13. 13.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) making brittle joints
15. 15.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
16. 16.🏚️ 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 160 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
17. 17.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
18. 18.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
19. 19.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
20. 20.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
21. 21.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
22. 22.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
23. 23.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
24. 24.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
26. 26.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
27. 27.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) stacking loose bricks
28. 28.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
29. 29.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 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
30. 30.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is colourful (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
31. 31.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
33. 33.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 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 C (c) tower A
34. 34.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
35. 35.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
36. 36.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
37. 37.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) having a wide base
38. 38.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
39. 39.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes

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