Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 988 · 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 is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is taller (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
2. 2.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
3. 3.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
4. 4.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
5. 5.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
7. 7.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
8. 8.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) stacking loose bricks
9. 9.🏚️ 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
10. 10.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 200 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
11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
12. 12.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
13. 13.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.True or false: adding steel to concrete 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 150 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 30 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 easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
17. 17.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
18. 18.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
20. 20.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
21. 21.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) adding cross bracing
23. 23.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a heavy roof (c) using a light roof (d) stacking loose bricks
24. 24.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
25. 25.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a telescope (c) a fridge (d) a microscope
26. 26.🏚️ 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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
27. 27.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a light roof (d) adding steel to concrete
28. 28.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they are cheap (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
29. 29.True or false: using a light roof 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) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
31. 31.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) keeping a simple shape
32. 32.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
34. 34.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
35. 35.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
36. 36.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
37. 37.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
38. 38.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) leaving out steel bars
39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) keeping a simple shape (c) having a wide base (d) raising heavy tanks high
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) stacking loose bricks (d) raising heavy tanks high

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