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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 960 · 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 of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) having a wide base (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using flexible joints
  2. 2.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
  4. 4.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  5. 5.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) raising heavy tanks high
  7. 7.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  8. 8.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on the very top
  10. 10.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) keeping a simple shape (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding cross bracing
  12. 12.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding cross bracing (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a heavy roof
  13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
  14. 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) building tall and narrow
  15. 15.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) adding steel to concrete (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a light roof
  16. 16.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 10 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
  17. 17.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a telescope (c) a fridge (d) a microscope
  18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) building tall and narrow
  19. 19.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is lighter
  20. 20.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) building tall and narrow
  23. 23.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) using flexible joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
  25. 25.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) leaving out steel bars (d) making brittle joints
  27. 27.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  28. 28.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they are cheap (c) they bend, not break (d) they stop shaking
  29. 29.🏚️ 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 20 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.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
  31. 31.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  32. 32.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  33. 33.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  34. 34.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using a heavy roof
  36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
  37. 37.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  38. 38.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
  39. 39.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) keeping a simple shape

Answer key

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

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