gravity, but to withstand earthquake shaking they need to be able to
withstand sideways, or horizontal, pushes and pulls.
ADA P T A T I ON S AND E X T E N S I ON S
1. Challenge students to find the minimum number of diagonal braces,
shear walls, or rigid connections that will ensure horizontal stability in
their models.
2. Invite students to design, construct, and test other structural
elements that could make buildings earthquake-resistant, such as
square rigid connections. Some might try putting wheels or sleds on
the bottom of their buildings.
3. If you have some very interested students, you may give them
access to all your building supplies and challenge them to design and
construct larger structures. Ask students to consider how they could
design a building so that the ground shaking does not transfer to the
building. There are new technologies that allow the ground to move,
but not the building. One of these is called base isolation. Have
students research this topic in periodicals. (See Unit Resources.)
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