Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 9 · 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.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
2. 2.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
3. 3.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
4. 4.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
5. 5.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they are cheap (c) they stop shaking (d) they bend, not break
6. 6.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
7. 7.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe 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 a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
9. 9.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
10. 10.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
11. 11.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
13. 13.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
14. 14.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
15. 15.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a heavy roof
17. 17.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
18. 18.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
19. 19.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
21. 21.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 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
22. 22.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
23. 23.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
24. 24.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is taller (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is lighter
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) leaving out steel bars
27. 27.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) adding steel to concrete (d) stacking loose bricks
28. 28.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
29. 29.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
30. 30.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
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 safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks
33. 33.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
34. 34.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
35. 35.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 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
36. 36.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) making brittle joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) building tall and narrow
37. 37.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) having a wide base (d) keeping a simple shape
38. 38.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
39. 39.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on the very top (c) on a thin pole (d) low down
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using flexible joints

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