Forensic Science Exam Study Guide
to determine if an unknown substance found at a crime scene is a drug
lacks specificity and visible examination is subject to human error - ANSWER-What is a
spot test and what can it be used for?
What is the greatest problem with spot tests?
1) Observation - gathering information around us (i.e.
eyewitnesses they tell the accounts of a crime scene
(varies with each witness))
2) Evidence - studies the different types of evidence
3) Crime Scene Investigators - these consist of police
officers, crime-scene investigators, medical examiners (
or coroners), detectives, and specialists
4) Fingerprinting - studies the different type of fingerprints
and what chemicals are used to lift them
5) Hair and Fibers - studies the different types of hair and
fibers that are found at the crime scene
6) Toxicology - the study of drugs, poisons, toxins, and
other substances that harm a person when used for
medical, recreational, or criminal purposes - ANSWER-Review all the different
branches of forensic science and know what they study, ballistics, trace evidence,
entomology.
1) emotional state
2) whether you're alone or w/ a group
3) the number of people and/or animals in the area
4) what type of activity is going on around you
5) how much activity is occurring around you - ANSWER-What are the key factors that
determine how a witness views a crime scene?
states that when a person comes into contact w/ an object or another person, a cross-
transfer of physical evidence can occur; intensity, duration, nature of the entities in
contact determine the extent of the transfer - ANSWER-What is the Locard Principle?
-the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on TV shows
that results in unrealistic public perceptions
-it influences the jury to have unrealistic expectations in a
forensic science case - ANSWER-What is the CSI effect, how does it impact a jury in a
forensic science case?
-animal or human hair
-fingerprints
-soil or plant material (including pollen)
, -body fluids
-fiber or debris from clothing
-paint chips
-broken glass
-chemicals (such as drugs or explosives) - ANSWER-What are some examples of trace
evidence?
States that when a person comes into contact w/ an object or another person, a cross-
transfer of physical evidence can occur - ANSWER-Define Locard's Principle.
1) Securing the Scene
2) Separating the Witnesses
3) Scanning the Scene
4) Seeing the Scene
5) Sketching the Scene
6) Searching for Evidence
7) Securing and Collecting Evidence - ANSWER-Review the steps in investigating a
crime scene (The 7 S's)
Loop: a fingerprint pattern in which the ridge pattern flows inward and returns in the
direction of the origin (the most popular fingerprint pattern)
Arch: a fingerprint pattern in which the ridge pattern originates from one side of the print
and continues to the other side
Whorl: a fingerprint pattern that resembles a bull's-eye - ANSWER-Describe the
following fingerprint patterns: loop, arch, whorl
They are lifted by dusting surfaces such as drinking glasses, the faucets on sinks,
telephones, and the like with a fine carbon powder can make a fingerprint more visible.
The chemicals include ninhydrin, cyanoacrylate vapor, silver nitrate, and iodine fuming.
- ANSWER-Describe how fingerprints can be lifted and the chemicals used to view them
Minutiae: the combination of details in the shapes and positions of ridges in fingerprints
that makes each unique; also called ridge characteristics - ANSWER-Define minutiae
and ridge characteristics
Latent Prints: a concealed fingerprint made visible through the use of powders or
forensic techniques
Visible/Plastic Prints: a three-dimensional fingerprint made in soft material such as clay,
soap, or putty - ANSWER-Define latent, visible and plastic prints, and be able to give
examples of situations where each type of print could be found
new scanning technology and digital systems of identifying patterns - ANSWER-What is
some of the latest technology used in fingerprinting?
Medulla: the central core of a hair
to determine if an unknown substance found at a crime scene is a drug
lacks specificity and visible examination is subject to human error - ANSWER-What is a
spot test and what can it be used for?
What is the greatest problem with spot tests?
1) Observation - gathering information around us (i.e.
eyewitnesses they tell the accounts of a crime scene
(varies with each witness))
2) Evidence - studies the different types of evidence
3) Crime Scene Investigators - these consist of police
officers, crime-scene investigators, medical examiners (
or coroners), detectives, and specialists
4) Fingerprinting - studies the different type of fingerprints
and what chemicals are used to lift them
5) Hair and Fibers - studies the different types of hair and
fibers that are found at the crime scene
6) Toxicology - the study of drugs, poisons, toxins, and
other substances that harm a person when used for
medical, recreational, or criminal purposes - ANSWER-Review all the different
branches of forensic science and know what they study, ballistics, trace evidence,
entomology.
1) emotional state
2) whether you're alone or w/ a group
3) the number of people and/or animals in the area
4) what type of activity is going on around you
5) how much activity is occurring around you - ANSWER-What are the key factors that
determine how a witness views a crime scene?
states that when a person comes into contact w/ an object or another person, a cross-
transfer of physical evidence can occur; intensity, duration, nature of the entities in
contact determine the extent of the transfer - ANSWER-What is the Locard Principle?
-the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on TV shows
that results in unrealistic public perceptions
-it influences the jury to have unrealistic expectations in a
forensic science case - ANSWER-What is the CSI effect, how does it impact a jury in a
forensic science case?
-animal or human hair
-fingerprints
-soil or plant material (including pollen)
, -body fluids
-fiber or debris from clothing
-paint chips
-broken glass
-chemicals (such as drugs or explosives) - ANSWER-What are some examples of trace
evidence?
States that when a person comes into contact w/ an object or another person, a cross-
transfer of physical evidence can occur - ANSWER-Define Locard's Principle.
1) Securing the Scene
2) Separating the Witnesses
3) Scanning the Scene
4) Seeing the Scene
5) Sketching the Scene
6) Searching for Evidence
7) Securing and Collecting Evidence - ANSWER-Review the steps in investigating a
crime scene (The 7 S's)
Loop: a fingerprint pattern in which the ridge pattern flows inward and returns in the
direction of the origin (the most popular fingerprint pattern)
Arch: a fingerprint pattern in which the ridge pattern originates from one side of the print
and continues to the other side
Whorl: a fingerprint pattern that resembles a bull's-eye - ANSWER-Describe the
following fingerprint patterns: loop, arch, whorl
They are lifted by dusting surfaces such as drinking glasses, the faucets on sinks,
telephones, and the like with a fine carbon powder can make a fingerprint more visible.
The chemicals include ninhydrin, cyanoacrylate vapor, silver nitrate, and iodine fuming.
- ANSWER-Describe how fingerprints can be lifted and the chemicals used to view them
Minutiae: the combination of details in the shapes and positions of ridges in fingerprints
that makes each unique; also called ridge characteristics - ANSWER-Define minutiae
and ridge characteristics
Latent Prints: a concealed fingerprint made visible through the use of powders or
forensic techniques
Visible/Plastic Prints: a three-dimensional fingerprint made in soft material such as clay,
soap, or putty - ANSWER-Define latent, visible and plastic prints, and be able to give
examples of situations where each type of print could be found
new scanning technology and digital systems of identifying patterns - ANSWER-What is
some of the latest technology used in fingerprinting?
Medulla: the central core of a hair
