Forensics Exam (except ch. 1)
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Created by:
NatalieFielders on May 22, 2012
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55 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 testimonial evidence | a statement made under oath |
| physical evidence | any object or material that is relevant in a crime |
| individual evidence | can be identified with a particular person or single source |
| class evidence | common to a group of objects or persons |
| indirect evidence | provides only a basis for inference about the disputed fact |
| circumstantial evidence | based on suggestion rather than personal knowledge or observation |
| unknown sample | material that has been collected from a known location but an unknown origin |
| known sample | material that's been collected from a known source |
| control sample | material that is similar to unknown and known samples, and is used to validate the test method and procedure |
| crime scene | only place where evidence may be located and gathered to help explain events |
| modus operandi | the characteristic method of operation of a criminal; aka MO |
| accelerant | used to start a fire |
| chain of custody | a written record of all people who have had possession of an item of evidence |
| minutiae | characteristics of ridge patterns |
| arch | has friction ridges that enter on one side of the finger and cross to the other side while rising upward in the middle |
| loop | must have 1 or more ridges entering and exiting from the same side |
| whorl | pattern with at least two deltas and a core |
| latent fingerprints | prints that are not visible to the naked eye; consist of the natural secretions of human skin and require development for them to be visible |
| ninhydrin | reacts with amino acids to produce a purple color |
| fingerprint | imprint made by ridge patterns on the tip of a finger; also used to describe the characteristic pattern of DNA fragments |
| microns | one millionth of a meter |
| dactyloscopy | study of fingerprints |
| anthropometry | study of human body measurements |
| delta | triangular area found near the center of all loops and whorls |
| core | area found near the center of all loops and whorls |
| plastic print | 3-D print made as indentations in soft material such as fresh pain, putty or wax |
| visible print | left by a finger that has touched blood, paint, ink, or the like |
| bifurcations | common minutiae; shaped like a two-pronged fork |
| rigor mortis | stiffness in the muscles that occurs shortly after death |
| livor mortis | the settling of blood, resulting in a reddish or purplish color pattern |
| algor mortis | the cooling rate of the body after death |
| autolysis | cadaver appears fresh externally but is decomposing internally due to activities of bacteria present before death |
| putrefication | cadaver is swollen by gas produced internally, accompanied by the odor of decaying flesh |
| diagenesis | cadaver is almost dry; slow rate of decay; may mummify |
| entomology | study of insects |
| instar | developmental stage of arthopods, generally referring to changes in the size of larvae |
| sutures | immovable joints where bones are joined together |
| symphysis | place where two bones meet and may rub together |
| serology | the examination and analysis of body fluids |
| ABO classification system | system for blood types based upon the reaction of antigens and antibodies |
| Rh factor | basic blood factor; + or - |
| antigen | substance that can stimulate the body to make antibodies |
| antibody | substance that reacts with an antigen |
| agglutination | clumping of red blood cells; will result if blood types with different antigens are mixed |
| angle of impact | angle at which blood strikes a target surface |
| blood stain transfer | when a bloody object comes into contact with a surface and leaves a patterned blood image on the surface |
| backspatter | blood that is directed back toward the source of energy |
| cast off | blood that is thrown from and object in motion |
| contact stain | bloodstains caused by contact between a wet blood-bearing surface and a second surface that may or may not have blood on it |
| directionality | relates to the direction a drop of blood travels in space from its point of origin |
| terminal velocity | the greatest speed to which a free-falling drop of blood can accelerate in air (25.1 ft./sec) |
| high velocity | greater than 25 ft/sec |
| medium velocity | 5-25 ft/sec |
| low velocity | 5 ft/sec or less |
| area of convergence | the pint of origin (spot where blow occurred) |
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