HOSA Forensic Science Questions and Answers 2023 Graded A+

Locard's Principle of Exchange - contact between people and objects during a crime can result in a transfer of material direct evidence - evidence (if true) that proves a fact (eyewitness account) circumstantial evidence - evidence that does not directly support a fact (blood stain or fingerprint) physical evidence - an object used to support elements of a crime biological evidence - organic matter used to support elements of a crime class evidence - evidence that narrows an identity to a group of persons or things individual evidence - evidence that narrows identity to a single person or thing trace evidence - a small amount of physical or biological evidence crime-scene investigation team - police officers, detectives, crime-scene investigators, medical examiners, and specialists crime-scene investigation - recognize, document, photograph, and collect evidence first-responding officer - identify extent of crime scene, secure the scene, and separate witnesses primary crime scene - location of where the crime took place secondary crime scene - alternate location where additional evidence can be collected crime-scene investigator - processes crime scenes (recognize, document, and preserve evidence) triangulation - mathematical method of calculating the location of an object based on the position of other objects paper bindle - folded paper used to hold evidence chain of custody - document that records how and when evidence has been handled datum point - a permanent, fixed point of reference used in mapping a crime scene crime-scene reconstruction - forming a hypothesis of the sequence of evidence before, during, and after the crime forensic laboratory - where evidence is analyzed detective - develops a possible crime-scene scenario toxicology - the study of poisons, toxins, drugs, and other substances people use for medical, recreational, or criminal purposes handling substance evidence - process it, weigh it, separate it, identify it forensic toxicology - science of determining relationship between exposure to a substance and toxic or lethal effects of exposure on humans poisons - natural or manufactured chemicals that can cause severe harm toxins - naturally occurring poisonous substances living things produce toxicologist - examines the effects of harmful substances on the body, establishes cause and effect of exposure, and develops treatments and techniques for detection toxicity - degree to which a substance is harmful to a person at a given time factors of toxicity - dose, duration, nature of exposure, interactions, by-products when broken down or metabolized questions for toxicological testing - which substances? illegal components? how much of each? presumptive testing - preliminary chemical tests performed by first-responding officers to identify a substance (does not provide positive confirmation) confirmatory testing - multistep chemical process that provides a positive identification of a substance colorimetric testing - most common form of presumptive testing that results in a color change chromatography, mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis, wet chemistry - most common forms of confirmatory testing