Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 875 · 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 bend, not break (c) they look nice (d) they stop shaking
2. 2.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
3. 3.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a shake table (c) a fridge (d) a microscope
4. 4.🏚️ 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 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
5. 5.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
7. 7.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
8. 8.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
11. 11.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
13. 13.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
14. 14.🏚️ 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 280 cm tall on a 40 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 C (c) tower B
15. 15.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
16. 16.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a light roof
18. 18.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using a light roof
19. 19.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
20. 20.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
21. 21.🏚️ 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 120 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
23. 23.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
24. 24.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) having a wide base (d) adding cross bracing
25. 25.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 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
26. 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
27. 27.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
29. 29.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) making brittle joints
30. 30.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
31. 31.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
32. 32.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
34. 34.🏚️ 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 200 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 C (c) tower A
35. 35.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) on a thin pole (d) low down
36. 36.🏚️ 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 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
37. 37.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is lighter (d) it is taller
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) using flexible joints (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
39. 39.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
40. 40.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True

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