Earthquake Lab

You and a partner will construct a 3 story (layer) structure that will be tested in three different types of Earthquakes.

The building must be at least 1 foot in height.

Two day construction followed by one day of testing (Thursday, October 22nd)

Structures will be eliminated from the challenge if any damage occurs during the quake, including warping, collapse, falling over etc….

The last building standing will receive extra points on their lab report (10 per person).

Basic Information

All buildings must be free-standing and will not be attached to the “ground” in any way on the date of the earthquake testing.

You will be awarded points for construction daily.

Anyone who is absent during the construction process must work by themselves.

Lab reports are due at the beginning of class on Monday, October 26th.

Basic Info. continued

1. Construct an Earthquake-proof structure from given supplies.

2. Identify magnitude and intensity levels of 3 separate earthquakes.

3. List factors that contribute to successful construction of Earthquake-proof buildings.

I. Objectives

ToothpicksMarshmallow (Regular and mini)Construction Supplies (No adhesives

allowed!)

II. Materials

This section will refer to a labeled diagram of structure and a paragraph describing the rationale behind the construction plan. You must also briefly describe the steps you plan on taking during construction.

III. Procedure

Use white unlined paper to draw the plans for your structure. You should include labels for approximate height and width, as well as how many marshmallow are used on each level!

Diagrams should be neatly drawn and contain labels for components of the design.

Diagram

Use the internet to write a description of your plan. You must include information about how you will arrange the toothpicks and marshmallows and why you are choosing this design.

You must have 2 web pages referenced in your description.

This part should be typed, printed and submitted for approval before you can get your supplies.

Visit schmidtsciencepage.wikispaces.com for links to pages about earthquake construction.

Rationale

Diagrams for Earthquake Construction

See the following slides for construction information.

This section will include a paragraph describing the testing procedure and what happened to your structure during each level.

You will record data from the lab in the following chart:

IV. Results

Trial # Magnitude Intensity Results

123

1. State the difference between magnitude and intensity during an earthquake.

2. What are the names of the scales that help determine the magnitude and intensity of a quake?

3. List any modifications that you had to make to your structure during the lab.

4. What type of building seemed to be the most successful during the quakes and why?

5. If you were not allowed to use glue and tape, what kind of modifications would you make to help support your building?

V. Conclusion