Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 910 · 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
2. 2.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
3. 3.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) using flexible joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
5. 5.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
6. 6.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
7. 7.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on a thin pole
8. 8.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
9. 9.🏚️ 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 70 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
10. 10.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
11. 11.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
12. 12.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
13. 13.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) using flexible joints
15. 15.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
16. 16.🏚️ 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
17. 17.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
18. 18.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
19. 19.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
21. 21.🏚️ 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 30 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.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) adding cross bracing (d) making brittle joints
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.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
25. 25.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow
27. 27.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
28. 28.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
29. 29.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
30. 30.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is colourful (d) it is lighter
31. 31.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
32. 32.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding cross bracing (d) making brittle joints
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
36. 36.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
37. 37.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow
38. 38.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
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.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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