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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 922 · 40 questions
TalentJR

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.

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  1. 1.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) adding steel to concrete (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
  3. 3.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  4. 4.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) using a light roof (d) leaving out steel bars
  5. 5.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 240 cm tall on a 40 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
  6. 6.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 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 A (c) tower C
  7. 7.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  8. 8.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) using a light roof
  9. 9.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  11. 11.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
  12. 12.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  15. 15.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) making brittle joints (c) using a light roof (d) adding steel to concrete
  16. 16.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 120 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
  17. 17.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
  18. 18.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a light roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
  21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
  22. 22.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) on the very top (c) hanging outside (d) low down
  23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
  24. 24.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  25. 25.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 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 A (c) tower B
  26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks
  27. 27.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
  29. 29.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
  30. 30.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) leaving out steel bars (c) having a wide base (d) adding cross bracing
  31. 31.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  32. 32.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is lighter (d) it is colourful
  33. 33.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  34. 34.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  35. 35.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) building tall and narrow
  37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) leaving out steel bars (d) building tall and narrow
  38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a heavy roof (c) using a light roof (d) making brittle joints
  39. 39.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.🏚️ 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 70 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 A (b) tower C (c) tower B

Answer key

  1. False
  2. building tall and narrow
  3. less safe
  4. using a light roof
  5. tower C
  6. tower C
  7. safer in earthquakes
  8. stacking loose bricks
  9. False
  10. safer in earthquakes
  11. a shake table
  12. True
  13. False
  14. less safe
  15. making brittle joints
  16. tower A
  17. using a heavy roof
  18. False
  19. True
  20. making brittle joints
  21. keeping a simple shape
  22. low down
  23. building tall and narrow
  24. safer in earthquakes
  25. tower B
  26. using flexible joints
  27. True
  28. adding steel to concrete
  29. raising heavy tanks high
  30. leaving out steel bars
  31. safer in earthquakes
  32. it is harder to tip over
  33. safer in earthquakes
  34. safer in earthquakes
  35. tower C
  36. adding steel to concrete
  37. fitting rubber base pads
  38. using a light roof
  39. False
  40. tower A

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