Earthquake Engineering (Courtney Carpenter)

Author(s)

Courtney Carpenter, Susan Miller Dorsey High School, Los Angeles

NGSS Engineering Standards

PS3B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

PS3C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces

PS3D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life

ESS2B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale Systems

ESS3B: Natural Hazards

ETS1A: Defining and Delimiting and Engineering Problem

ETS1B: Developing Possible Solutions

ETS1C: Optimizing the Design Solution

Materials needed:

• cardboard boxes and lids

• rubberbands

• scissors

• hole punch

• etcetera... let students be creative!!!!!

Procedure

1. Choose a partner.

2. Design blueprint of skyscraper and isolated base. Building must be two feet tall minimum. Show teacher for approval. (google drawings is great to share document between group members and teacher)

3. Gather materials for homework. Construction begins tomorrow in class.

4. Construct skyscraper and isolated base.

5. Submit finished product to teacher for testing.

6. End product will be scored on sustainability during "earthquake" as well as artistic design.

Questions

• What kind of things are important to know while engineering your skyscraper? Why are these important?

• What is important to know while engineering the isolated base? Why are these important?

• What types of buildings scored the highest and why?

• How could you upgrade your building to get a higher score?

Photos

How to Make a Basic Isolated Base:

1) Punch holes in free part of the base.

2) Punch corresponding holes in base foundation.

3) Pull rubberband through free base hole and itself.

4) Cut ends of rubberband

5) Tie rubberbands through foundation holes

6) Complete isolated base.

• Photos of real-life application of engineering Concepts

Movies

National Geographic - Introduction to Earthquakes

References

National Geographic website

Netflix

Project

Base Isolated Buildings

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