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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 950 · 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.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) keeping a simple shape (c) adding steel to concrete (d) adding cross bracing
  2. 2.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) keeping a simple shape (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding cross bracing
  3. 3.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  4. 4.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
  5. 5.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they look nice (d) they bend, not break
  6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
  7. 7.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) fitting rubber base pads
  11. 11.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  12. 12.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 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) keeping a simple shape (b) making brittle joints (c) using a light roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
  14. 14.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.🏚️ 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 20 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  17. 17.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  18. 18.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using a light roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) leaving out steel bars
  19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a heavy roof (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
  20. 20.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  21. 21.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a light roof (c) making brittle joints (d) building tall and narrow
  23. 23.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a fridge (c) a shake table (d) a microscope
  25. 25.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) on a thin pole (c) hanging outside (d) low down
  26. 26.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  27. 27.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
  29. 29.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
  30. 30.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) leaving out steel bars
  31. 31.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape 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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) building tall and narrow (c) using flexible joints (d) keeping a simple shape
  34. 34.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  36. 36.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  40. 40.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C

Answer key

  1. leaving out steel bars
  2. stacking loose bricks
  3. safer in earthquakes
  4. using a heavy roof
  5. they bend, not break
  6. using flexible joints
  7. True
  8. less safe
  9. tower C
  10. fitting rubber base pads
  11. tower A
  12. tower B
  13. making brittle joints
  14. False
  15. tower B
  16. tower C
  17. less safe
  18. leaving out steel bars
  19. using a heavy roof
  20. tower C
  21. False
  22. using a light roof
  23. False
  24. a shake table
  25. low down
  26. safer in earthquakes
  27. True
  28. adding steel to concrete
  29. it is harder to tip over
  30. adding cross bracing
  31. safer in earthquakes
  32. tower C
  33. building tall and narrow
  34. True
  35. tower B
  36. False
  37. False
  38. False
  39. safer in earthquakes
  40. tower C

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