Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 93 · 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 look nice (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they are cheap
2. 2.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a shake table
3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
4. 4.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
5. 5.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) having a wide base (c) leaving out steel bars (d) keeping a simple shape
8. 8.🏚️ Does using flexible joints 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 70 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
10. 10.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is taller (c) it is colourful (d) it is harder to tip over
11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
12. 12.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
13. 13.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
14. 14.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
15. 15.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
16. 16.🏚️ 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 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
17. 17.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding cross bracing
18. 18.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) raising heavy tanks high
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding steel to concrete (d) adding cross bracing
21. 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) building tall and narrow (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) making brittle joints
22. 22.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
23. 23.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) stacking loose bricks
25. 25.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
26. 26.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
27. 27.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
28. 28.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
29. 29.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
30. 30.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) having a wide base
32. 32.🏚️ 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 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
33. 33.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
34. 34.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
35. 35.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
36. 36.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
37. 37.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
38. 38.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 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.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on a thin pole (c) low down (d) on the very top
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a heavy roof (c) using a light roof (d) adding steel to concrete

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