The strength of a building is a function of all the components like the floor, walls, roof, and foundation working together as a unit. When an earthquake strikes the house, does the roof bear the burnt of the forces?

Answer by  Dan3686 (969)

During an earthquake the building as a whole will take the brunt of the force, not generally the roof but more so the walls. Try an experiment with a house of cards.

Answer by  RyanR (56)

No, the brunt of hte forces are going to be in the floor closest to the energy source. Bu the floor will not shake much and the walls will shake more because they are less stable. The roof will shake as much as the walls and will fall.

Answer by  EddieT (44)

It depends on how the house was designed and built as to how the forces of an earthquake are going to affect it.