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Shake It Up

Science and Children—February 2010

If scientists know where earthquakes are most likely to occur, then architects and engineers can design safer buildings for such areas and potentially prevent some of the devastating aftereffects. Engineers have met this challenge through the design and use of gigantic shake tables to evaluate the stability of various structures. In this 45-minute lesson and activity, students learn how seismically safe buildings are designed. They also design and test their own buildings on shake tables. Following this lesson, students can analyze their construction and evaluate and improve their original design.
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