Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 895 · 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 60 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
2. 2.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
4. 4.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) fitting rubber base pads
6. 6.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) using flexible joints (d) leaving out steel bars
8. 8.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they bend, not break (c) they stop shaking (d) they are cheap
9. 9.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on a thin pole (c) on the very top (d) low down
10. 10.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using flexible joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) adding cross bracing
12. 12.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) leaving out steel bars (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) building tall and narrow
14. 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) using flexible joints
15. 15.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is taller (d) it is lighter
16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a light roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) stacking loose bricks
17. 17.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
18. 18.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a fridge (c) a shake table (d) a telescope
19. 19.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
20. 20.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) using a light roof (d) building tall and narrow
21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) keeping a simple shape (d) raising heavy tanks high
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
23. 23.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) making brittle joints
25. 25.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding steel to concrete
27. 27.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
28. 28.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 20 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 B (c) tower C
30. 30.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
31. 31.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
32. 32.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a light roof (d) building tall and narrow
33. 33.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high 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 50 cm tall on a 10 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 hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
36. 36.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
37. 37.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
38. 38.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 100 cm tall on a 20 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 A (c) tower B
39. 39.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) having a wide base (c) adding steel to concrete (d) keeping a simple shape

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