Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 953 · 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.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) building tall and narrow
2. 2.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
3. 3.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they stop shaking (c) they are cheap (d) they bend, not break
4. 4.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
5. 5.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
7. 7.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a shake table
8. 8.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using flexible joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
9. 9.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
10. 10.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
11. 11.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
12. 12.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
13. 13.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using flexible joints (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
14. 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) making brittle joints (d) adding steel to concrete
15. 15.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
16. 16.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
17. 17.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
18. 18.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
19. 19.🏚️ 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 20 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
20. 20.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
21. 21.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
22. 22.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
23. 23.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
24. 24.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a light roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a light roof (d) stacking loose bricks
26. 26.🏚️ 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 10 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
27. 27.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
28. 28.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
29. 29.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
30. 30.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
31. 31.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
33. 33.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
34. 34.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
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 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
36. 36.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
37. 37.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow 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 210 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
39. 39.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
40. 40.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe

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