Final answer:
The permissible drift between adjacent stories of a building is often limited to about 0.5% to 2.5% of the story height, ensuring structural safety during earthquakes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is about the permissible drift limits for a building, which is a concept in structural engineering related to seismic design. Limits on the amount of drift (or lateral displacement) are important to ensure the safety of a building during earthquakes. Regulations and building codes typically specify a maximum allowable drift, often as a proportion of the story height. While the exact drift limit can vary by code and building type, in many cases it's limited to about 0.5% to 2.5% of the story height. For a clearer understanding, if a story height is approximately 4 meters (as estimated using the average height of an adult), a common allowable drift might be between 20 mm to 100 mm between adjacent stories. It's crucial for engineers to design buildings to withstand lateral forces and to limit drifts within these specifictions to ensure the structure's integrity and safety during seismic events.