Summary
Phil designs buildings that can survive a shaking table, testing which structures stay standing when the ground moves. A hands-on engineering challenge about forces and stable design. ~22 min, free on the official Science Max YouTube channel.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
When the ground shakes, which buildings stay up? Phil engineers structures to survive an earthquake.
- What happens to a tall, narrow tower when it shakes?
- What design changes helped a building stay standing?
- How do the forces of shaking try to knock a structure down?
- If you built an earthquake-proof tower, what would you add?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: earthquake, structure, force, stable, design.
Try it: Build a small tower of blocks on a tray, then gently shake the tray. Rebuild it wider at the base and tell which version lasted longer.