Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 973 · 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.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 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 C (c) tower B
2. 2.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is colourful (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a light roof (d) making brittle joints
4. 4.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) adding cross bracing
6. 6.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
8. 8.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
9. 9.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
10. 10.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
11. 11.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
12. 12.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a fridge (c) a telescope (d) a microscope
13. 13.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding cross bracing
14. 14.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they bend, not break (c) they stop shaking (d) they are cheap
15. 15.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
16. 16.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) keeping a simple shape (c) adding steel to concrete (d) making brittle joints
18. 18.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
19. 19.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) stacking loose bricks (c) building tall and narrow (d) leaving out steel bars
21. 21.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
22. 22.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
23. 23.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 280 cm tall on a 40 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 B (c) tower A
24. 24.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using flexible joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
26. 26.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
27. 27.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
28. 28.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 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 B (c) tower A
29. 29.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) on a thin pole (d) low down
30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
31. 31.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
32. 32.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
33. 33.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
35. 35.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
36. 36.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) having a wide base (d) raising heavy tanks high
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
38. 38.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
39. 39.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True

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