1. 1 to 1.

5 degrees
Fahrenheit per hour
until the body reaches
the environmental
temperatures
A general rule is that the deceased
body will lose heat at a rate of:
2. 24 hours and 36 hours Rigor mortis manifests itself
within the first ____ hours and
disappears within ___ hours.
3. 212 What is the boiling point of water
on the Fahrenheit scale?
4. Absorption Passage of alcohol across the wall
of the stomach and small intestine
into the bloodstream
5. Accelerant Any material used to start or
sustain a fire
6. Acid A compound capable of donating a
hydrogen ion [H+] to another
compound
7. Acid phosphatase An enzyme found in high
concentration in semen
8. Agglutination The clumping together of red blood
cells by the action of an antibody
9. Alcohol The most widely used and abused
drug
10. Algor Mortis Postmortem changes that cause a
body to lose heat
11. Allele Any of several alternative forms of
a gene located at the same point on
a particular pair of chromosomes.
12. Alpha ray A type of radiation emitted by a
radioactive element. The radiation
is composed of helium atoms
minus their orbiting electrons
13. Alveoli Small sacs in the lungs through
whose walls air and other vapors
are exchanged between the breath
and the blood
14. Amelogenin gene A genetic locus useful for
determining gender
15. Amino acids The 20 common building blocks of
proteins; are linked to form a
protein
16. Amorphous solid A solid in which the constituent
atoms or molecules are arranged in
random or disordered positions.
There is no regular order in this
type of solid
17. Anabolic steriods Steroids that promote muscle
growth
18. Anagen phase The initial growth phase during which the
hair follicle actively produces hair
19. Analgesic A drug or substance that lessens or
eliminates pain
20. Anthropometry A system of identification of individuals by
measurement of parts of the body,
developed by Alphonse Bertillon
21. Antibody A protein that destroys or inactivates a
specific antigen; found in the blood serum
22. Anticoagulant A substance that prevents coagulation or
clotting of blood
23. Antigen A substance, usually a protein, that
stimules the body to produce antibodies
against it
24. Antiserum Blood serum that contains specific
antibodies
25. Arch A class of fingerprints characterized by
ridge lines that enter the print from one
side and flow out the other side
26. Atery A blood vessel that carries blood away from
the heart
27. Atom The smallest unit of an element; not
divisible by ordinary chemical means;
made up of electrons, protons, and
neutrons plus other subatomic particles
28. Atomic Mass
Number
The sum of the number of protons and
neutrons in the nucleus of an atom
29. Atomic
Number
The number of protons in the nucleus of an
atom
30. Autopsy The medical dissection and examination of
a body in order to determine the cause of
death
31. Base A compound capable of accepting a
hydrogen ion [H+]
32. Becke line A bright halo that is observed near the
border of a particle immersed in a liquid of
a different refractive index
33. Beta ray A type of radiation emitted by a radioactive
element. The radiation consists of electrons
34. Binocular Describes a microscope with two eyepieces
35. Birefringence A difference in the two indices of refraction
exhibited by most crystalline materials
36. Bit Short for binary digit; taking the form of
either a one or a zero; is the smallest unit of
information on a machine
37. Black powder Normally, a mixture of postassium nitrate,
carbon, and sulfur in the ratio of 75/15/10
Saferstein Criminalistics
Study online at quizlet.com/_7jw6q
38. Bookmark A feature that enables a computer user to
designate favorite sites for fast and easy access
39. Bore The interior of a firearm barrel
40. Breechblock The rear part of a firearm barrel
41. Broadband Describes any kind of Internet connection,
with a download speed of more than 56 kilobits
per second
42. Browser A program that allows access to websites
43. Buccal cells Cells derived from the inner cheek lining
44. Buccal swab A swab of the inner portion of the cheek; cheek
cells are usually collected to determine the DNA
profile of an individual
45. Byte A group of eight bits
46. Caliber The diameter of the bore of a rifled firearm;
usually expressed in hundredths of an inch or
millimeters - for example, .22 caliber and 9 mm
47. Capillary A tiny blood vessel across whose walls
exchange of materials between the blood and
the tissues takes place; receives blood from
arteries and carries it to veins
48. Carbon The element that is contained in all organic
substances
49. Catagen
phase
A transition stage between the anagen and
telogen phases of hair growth
50. Catalyst A substance that accelerates the rate of a
chemical reaction but is not itself permanently
changed by the reaction
51. Celsius
scale
The temperature scale using the melting point
of ice as 0 and the boiling point of water as
100, with 100 equal divisions or degress
between
52. Central
Processing
Unit [CPU]
The main [microprocessor] chip within the
computer; also referred to as the brain of the
computer; handles most of the operations [code
and instructions] of the computer
53. Chain of
custody
A list of all people who came into possession of
an item of evidence
54. Charred
document
Any document that has become darkened and
brittle through exposure to fire or excessive
heat
55. Chemical
property
Describes the behavior of a substance when it
reacts or combines with another substrate
56. Choke An interior constriction placed at or near the
muzzle end of a shotgun's barrel to control shot
dispersion
57. Chromatography Any of several analytical techniques for
separating organic mixtures into their
components by attraction to a stationary
phase while being propelled by a moving
phase
58. Chromosome A rodlike structure in the cell nucleus,
along which the genes are located; is
composed of DNA surrounded by other
material, mainly proteins
59. Class
characteristics
When evidence can be associated only
with a group and never with a single
source
60. Cluster A group of sectors in multiples of two; the
size varies from file system to file system
and is typically the minimum space
allocated to a file
61. Combustible
liquids
Most common accelerants
62. Combustion Rapid combination of oxygen with
another substance accompanied by the
production of noticeable heat and light
63. Comparison The process of ascertaining whether two
or more objects have a common origin
64. Complementary
Base Pairing
The specific pairing of base A with T and
C with G in double-stranded DNA
65. Compound A pure substance composed of two or
more elements
66. Concentric
fracture
A crack in a glass that forms a rough
circle around the point of impact
67. Condenser The lens system under the microscope
stage that focuses light onto the specimen
68. Confirmation
test
A single test that specifically identifies a
substance
69. Continuous
spectrum
A type of emission spectrum showing a
continuous band of colors all blending
into one another
70. Cookie A file placed on a computer's hard disk
drive by websites the user has visited
71. Cortex The main body of the hair shaft
72. Cotton The most prevalent plant fiber
73. Crystalline solid A solid in which the constituent atoms
have a regular arrangement
74. Cuticle The scale structure covering the exterior
of the hair
75. Deflagration A very rapid oxidation reaction
accompanied by the generation of a low-
intensity pressue wave that can disrupt
the surroundings
76. Delta rays NOT a type of radiation
77. Density A physical property of matter that is
equivalent to the mass per unit volume of
a substrate; Density = mass/volume
78. Density-gradient
tube
A glass tube filled from bottom to top
with liquids of successively lighter
densities; used to determine the density
distribution of soil
79. Deoxyribonucleic
Acid [DNA]
The molecules carrying the body's
genetic information; is double stranded
in the shape of a double helix. This is the
abbreviation.
80. Depressant A substance that depresses the functions
of the central nervous system; calms
irritability and anxiety and may induce
sleep
81. Depth of focus The thickness of a specimen that is
entirely in focus under a microscope
82. Detonating cord A cordlike explosive containing a core of
high explosive material, usually PETN;
also called primacord
83. Detonation An extremely rapid oxidation reaction
accompanied by a violent disruptive effect
and an intense, high-speed shock wave
84. Digital imaging A process through which a picture is
converted into a series of square
electronic dots known as pixels. The
picture is manipulated by computer
software that changes the numerical
value of each pixel.
85. Dispersion The separation of light into its
component wavelengths
86. Distance
determination
The process of determining the distance
between the firearm and a target, usually
based on the distribution of powder
patterns or the spread of a shot pattern
87. DNA Replication The synthesis of new DNA from existing
DNA
88. Domain A human readable name and
abbreviation for a website
89. Download The transfer of a file through an Internet
connection from a remote computer to a
user's computer
90. Dynamite, RDX Examples of high explosives
91. e-mail [electronic
mail]
The service that is most commonly used
in conjunction with the Internet
92. Egg The female reproductive cell
93. Ejector The mechanism in a firearm that throws
the cartridge or fired case from the
firearm
94. Electorphoresis
[Biology]
A technique for separating molecules
through their migration on a support
medium while under the influence of
an electrical potential
95. Electromagnetic
spectrum
The entire range of radiation energy
from the most energetic cosmic rays to
the least energetic radio waves
96. Electron A negatively charged particle that is
one of the fundamental structural
units of the atom
97. Electron orbital The path of electrons as they move
around the nuclei of atoms
98. Electrophoresis A technique for separating molecules
through migration on a support
medium while under the influence of
an electrical potential
99. Electrophoresis is
related to which
type of
chromatographic
process?
Thin-layer chromatography
100. Element A fundamental particle of matter;
cannot be broken down into simpler
substanced by chemical means
101. Emission Light emitted from a source and
separated into its component colors or
frequencies
102. Endothermic
reaction
A chemical transformation in which
heat energy is absorbed from the
surroundings
103. Energy The combined ability or potential of a
system or material to do work
104. Enzyme A type of protein that acts as a catalyst
for certain specific reactions
105. Epithelial cells The outer layer of skin cells
106. Erasure The removal of writing, typewriting,
or priniting from a document usually
accomplished by either chemical
means or an abrasive instrument
107. Erythrocyte A red blood cell
108. Examples of
glowing
combustion
red-hot charcoal, burning cigarette
109. Examples of
identification in a
forensic setting
Drug analysis, species determination,
and explosive residue analysis
110. Examples of low
explosives
Black powder; smokeless powder
111. Excited state The state in which an atom absorbs
energy and an electron moves from a
lower to a higher energy level
112. Excretion Elimination of alcohol from the body in an
unchanged state
113. Exemplar An authentic sample used for comparison
purposes, such as handwriting
114. Exothermic
reaction
A chemical transformation where heat
energy is liberated
115. Expert
Witness
An individual whom the court determines to
possess knowledge relevant to the trial that
is not expected of the average layperson
116. Explosion A chemical or mechanical action resulting
in the rapid expansion of gases
117. Extractor The mechanism in a firearm by which a
cartridge of a fired case is withdrawn from
the chamber
118. Eye piece lens The lens of a microscope into which the
viewer looks; same as the ocular lens
119. Fahrenheit
scale
The temperature scale using the melting
point of ice as 32 and the boiling point of
water as 212, with 180 equal division or
degrees between
120. Field of view the area of the specimen that can be seen
after it is magnified
121. File slack The area that begins at the end of the last
sector that contains logical data and
terminates at the end of the cluster
122. Finished
sketch
A precise rendering of the crime scene,
usually drawn to scale
123. Firearms
identification
A discipline mainly concerned with
determining whether a bullet or cartridge
was fired by a particular weapon; should not
be confused with ballistics
124. Firewall Hardware of software designed to protect
intrusions into an Internet network
125. Flammable
range
The entire range of possible gas or vapor fuel
concentrations in air that are capable of
burning
126. Flash point The minimum temperature at which a liquid
fuel produces enough vapor to burn
127. Fluoresce To emit visible light when exposed to light of
a shorter wavelength-that is, ultraviolet light
128. Follicular tag A translucent piece of tissue surrounding the
hair's shaft near the root; contains the
richest source of DNA associated with hair
129. Forensic
Entomology
The study of insects and their relation to a
criminal investigation
130. Forensic
Science
The application of science to those criminal
and civil laws that are enforced by policie
agencies in a criminal justice system
131. Frequency The number of waves that pass a given point
per second
132. Frye v.
United States
The standard guideline for determining the
judicial admissibility of scientic examination
stemmed from which court ruling?
133. Fuel cell
detector
A detector in which chemical reaction
produce electricity
134. Gamma ray A high energy form of electromagnetic
radiation emitted by a radioactive element
135. Gas [vapor] A state of matter in which the attractive
forces between molecules are small enough
to permit them to move with complete
freedom
136. Gene A unit of inheritance consisting of a DNA
segment located on a chromosome
137. Genotype The particular combination of genes present
in the cells of an individual
138. Glowing
combustion
Burning at the fuel-air interface
139. gram The basic unit of mass in the metric system
140. Greiss Test A chemical test used to develop patterns of
gunpowder residues around bullet holes
141. Grooves The cut or low-lying portions between the
lands in a rifled bore
142. Hacking A slang term for an unauthorized computer
or network instrusion [according to
Criminalistics, by Saferstein]
143. Hallucinogen A substance that induces changes in mood,
attitude, thought processes, and perceptions
144. Hard Disk
Drive [HDD]
The primary component of storage in the
personal computer; consists of magnetic
platters contained in a case [usually 3.5" in a
destop and 2.5" in a laptop]; usually where
the operating system, applications, and user
data are stored
145. Hardware The physical components of a computer:
case, keyboard, monitor, motherboard, RAM,
HDD, mouse, and so on; generally, any
computer component that can be touched
146. Heat of
combustion
The heat evolved when a substance is burned
in oxygen
147. heat,
chemical,
electrical
Forms of energy
148. Hemoglobin A red blood cell protein that transports
oxygen in the bloodstream; responsible for
the red color of blood
149. Heptatitis B The Federal Occupational Safety & Health
Administration [OSHA] requires that all
officers who may have contact with body
fluids while on the job be offered the
innoculations against
150. Heterozygous Having two different allelic genes on
two corresponding positions of a pair of
chromosomes
151. High explosive An explosive with a velocity of
detonation greater than 1000 meters per
second
152. Homozygous Having two identical allelic genes on
two corresponding position of a pair of
chromosomes
153. Human Genome The total DNA content found within the
nucleus of a cell. In humans, it is
composed of approximately 3 billion
base pairs of genetic information.
154. Hybridization The process of joining two
complementary strands of DNA to form
a double-stranded molecule
155. Hybridonma
cells
Fused spleen and tumor cells; used to
produce idential monoclonal antibodies
in a limitless supply
156. Hydrocarbon Any compound consisting only of
carbon and hydrogen
157. Hypertext Links to other websites; the linked
document is displayed by clicking on a
highlighted word or icon
158. Identification The process of determining a
substance's physical or chemical
identity.
159. Ignition
temperature
The minimum temperature at which a
fuel will spontaneously ignite
160. Indented
writings
Impressions left on papers positioned
under a piece of paper that has been
written on
161. Individual
characteristics
Properties of evidence that can be
attributed to a common source with an
extremely high degree of certainty
162. Infrared Invisible short frequencies of light
before red in the visible spectrum
163. Infrared
luminescence
A property exhibited by some dyes that
emit infrared light when exposed to
blue-green light
164. Inorganic Describes a chemical compound not
based on carbon
165. Intensive
property
A property that is not dependent on the
size of an object
166. International
Association for
Identification
Safety Committee
The committee who proposed guidelines
to protect investigators at crime scenes
containing potentially infectious
materials
167. Internet cache Portions of visited web pages placed on
the local hard disk drive to facilitate
quicker retrieval once revisited
168. Internet
history
An accounting of websites visited; different
browsers store this information in different way
169. Internet
protocol
The set of rules used to transmit packets of data
over the Internet and route them to their
destination
170. Internet
Service
Provider
[ISP]
A company that provides connections to the
Internet
171. Iodine
fuming
A technique for visualizing latent fingerprints
by exposing them to iodine vapors
172. Ion An atom or molecule bearing a positive or
negative charge
173. Iso-
enzymes
Multiple molecular forms of an enzyme, each
having the same or very similar enzyme
activities
174. Isotope An atom differing from another atom of the
same element in the number of neutrons in its
nucleus
175. Laminated
glass
Two sheets of ordinary glass bonded together
with a plastic film
176. Lands The raised portion between the grooves in a
rifled bore
177. Laser An acronym for Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission of Radiation; light has all
its waves pulsating in unison
178. Latent
data
Areas of files and disks that are typically not
apparent to the computer user [and often not to
the operating system], but still contain data
179. Latent
fingerprint
A fingerprint made by the deposit of oils and/or
perspiration; is invisible to the naked eye
180. Lawrence
Kersta
The individual credited with creating voiceprint
technology
181. Line
spectrum
A type of emission spectrum showing a series of
lines separated by black areas
182. Liquid A state of matter in which molecules are in
contact with one another but are not rigidly
held in place
183. Livescan An inkless device that captures the digital
images of fingerprints and palm prints and
electronically transmits the images to an AFIS
184. Livor
Mortis
The medical condition that occurs after death
and results in the settling of blood in areas of
the body closest to the ground
185. Locus The physical location of a gene on a
chromosome
186. Loop A class of fingerprints characterized by ridge
lines that enter from one side of the pattern and
curve around to exit from the same side of the
pattern
187. Los Angeles Police
Department
What is the oldest forensic
laboratory in the U.S.A. ?
188. Low Copy Number Fewer than 18 DNA-bearing
cells
189. Low explosive An explosive with a velocity of
detonation less than 1000
meters per second
190. Luminol The most sensitive chemical
test capable of presumptively
detecting bloodstains diluted
up to 300,000 times. Its
reaction with blood emits light
which requires the result to be
observed in a darkened area.
191. Macromolecule A molecule with a high
molecular mass
192. Mailing list A list of people with a common
interest who receive all the e-
mails sent to the list
193. Manufactured fibers Fibers derived from either
natural or synthetic polymers;
typically made by forcing the
polymeric material through the
holes of a spinneret
194. Marijuana Name of hallucinogen drug
195. Mass A constant property of matter
that reflects the amount of
material present
196. Matter All things of a substance;
composed of atoms or
molecules
197. Medulla A cellular column running
through the center of the hair
198. Message Digest 5 [MD5] /
Secure Hash algorithm
[SHA]
a software algorithm used to
'fingerprint' a file or contents of
a disk; used to verify the
integrity of data
199. Metabolize To transform a chemical in the
body to another chemical to
facilitate its elimination from
the body
200. Microcrystalline tests Tests to identify specific
substances by the color and
morphology of the crystals
formed when the substance is
mixed with specific reagents
201. Microspectrophotometer An instrument that links a
microscope to a
spectrophotometer
202. Mineral A naturally occuring crystalline
solid
203. Missing data Areas of files and disks that are not
apparent to the user, and sometimes not
even to the operating system
204. Mitochondria Small structures located outside the
nucleus of a cell; supply energy to the cell
205. Mitochondrial
DNA
DNA present in small structures outside
the nucleus of a cell. This form of DNA is
inherited maternally
206. Modem A device that connects a computer to
another computer through a phone line
207. Modus
operandi
An offender's pattern of operation
208. Mohair NOT a man-made fiber grouping
209. Molecule Two or more atoms held together by
chemical bonds
210. Monochromatic
light
Light having a single wavelength or
frequency
211. Monochromator A device for isolating individual
wavelengths or frequencies of light
212. Monocular Describes a micorscope with one eye
piece
213. Monomer The basic unit of structure from which a
polymer is constructed
214. Motherboard The main system board of a computer
[and many other electronic devices];
delivers power, data, and instructions to
the computer's components; every
component in the computer is either
directly or indirectly connected to this
215. Multiplexing A technique that simultaneously detects
more than one DNA marker in a single
analysis
216. Names of
Narcotic Drugs
Morphine, heroin, methadone, codeine
217. Narcotic An analgesic or pain-killing substance
that depresses vital body functions such
as blood pressure, pulse rate, and
breathing rate; regular administration
produces physical dependence
218. Natural fibers Fibers derived entirely from animal or
plant sources
219. Natural
variations
Normal deviations found between
repeated specimens of an individual's
handwriting or any printing device
220. Neutron A particle with no electrical charge that is
one of the basic structures in the nucleus
of an atom
221. Newsgroups Large bulletin board systems that consist of
several thousand specialized discussion
groups; messages are posted to a bulletin
board via e-mail for others to read
222. Ninhydrin A chemical reagent used to develop latent
fingerprints on porous materials by reacting
with amino acids in perspiration
223. Normal
excretion of
alcohol
Breath and urine
224. Nuclear
DNA
DNA present within the nucleus of a cell. This
form of DNA is inherited from both parents
225. Nucleotide The unit of DNA consisting of one of four
bases - adenine, guanine, cytosine, or
thymine - attached to a phosphate-sugar
group
226. Nucleus
[chemistry
term]
The core of an atom containing the protons
and neutrons
227. Objective
lens
The lower lens of a microscope, which is
positioned directly over the specimen
228. Obliteration The blotting out or smearing over of writing or
printing to make the original unreadable
229. Operating
System [OS]
The software that provides the bridge between
the system hardware and the user; lets the
user interact with the hardware and manages
the filing system and applications
230. Organic Describes a substance composed of carbon
and often smaller amounts of hydrogen,
oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, phosphorus, or
other elements
231. Oxidation The combination of oxygen with other
substances to produce new products
232. Oxidizing
agent
A substance that supplies oxygen to a
chemical reaction
233. Parfocal Describes a microscope such that when an
image is focused with one objective in
position, the other objective can be rotated
into place and the field will remain in focus
234. Partion A contiguous set of blocks that are defined and
treated as an independent disk
235. Periodic
table
A chart of elements arranged in a systematic
fashion. Vertical rows are called groups or
families; horizontal rows are called series.
Elements in a given row have similar
properties
236. pH scale A scale used to express the basicity or acidity
of a substance
237. Phase A uniform body of matter; are separated by
definite visible boundaries
238. Phenotype The physical manifestation of a genetic
trait such as shape, color, and blood type
239. Photography
Unit
What is not an optional service, that may
be provided by a full-service crime
laboratory?
240. Photon A small packet of electromagnetic radiation
energy; contains a unit of energy equal to
the product of Planck's constance and fhe
frequency of radiation: E 5 hf
241. Physical
dependence
Physiological need for a drug that has been
brought about by it regular use.
Dependence is characterized by withdrawal
sickness when administration of the drug
is abruptly stopped
242. Physical
evidence
Any object that can establish that a crime
has been committed or can link a crime and
its victim or its perpetrator
243. Physical
property
Describes the behavior of a substance
without having to alter the substance's
compositon through a chemical reaction
244. Physical state A condition or state in the form of matter; a
solid, liquid or gas
245. Picogram One-trillionth of a gram, or
0.000000000001 gram
246. Pixel A square electronic dot that is used to
compose a digital image
247. Plane-
polarized light
Light confined to a single plane of
vibration
248. Plasma NOT a physical state of matter
249. Plasma
[Biology]
The fluid portion of unclotted blood
250. Plastic print A fingerprint impressed in a soft surface
251. Polarizer A device that permits the passage of light
waves vibrating in only one plane
252. Polarizing
microscope
The microscope that has found wide
application for the examination of
birefringent materials present in soil
253. Polymer A substance composed of a large number of
atoms; usually arranged in repeating units
or monomers
254. Polymer A substance composed of a large number of
atoms. These atoms are usually arranged in
repeating units or monomers
255. Polymerase
Chain
Reaction
The technique for replicating or copying a
portion of a DNA strand outside a living
cell; leads to millions of copies of the DNA
strand
256. Polymorphism The existence of more than one form of a
genetic trait
257. Portrais
Parie
A verbal description of a perpetrator's
physical characteristics and dress provided
by an eyewitness
258. Precipitin An antibody that reacts with its
corresponding antigen to form a precipitate
259. Preservative A substance that stops the growth of
microorganisms in blood
260. Primary
explosive
A high explosive that is easily detonated by
heat or shock
261. Product rule Multiplying together the frequencies of
independently occuring genetic markers to
obtain an overall frequency of occurence for a
genetic profile
262. Proteins Polymers of amino acids that play basic roles
in the structures and functions of living
things
263. Proton A positively charged particle that is one of
the basic structures in the nucleus of an atom
264. Psychological
dependence
Conditioned use of a drug caused by
underlying emotional needs
265. Pyrolysis The decomposition of organic matter by heat
266. Questioned
document
Any document about which some issue has
been raised or that is subject of an
investigation
267. Radial
fracture
A crack in a glass that extends outward like
the spoke of a wheel from the point at which
the glass was struck
268. Radioactivity The particle and/or gamma ray radiation
emitted by the unstable nucleus of some
isotopes
269. Ram slack The area beginning at the end of the logical
file and terminating at the end of that sector
270. Random-
Access
Memory
[RAM]
The volatile memory of the the computer;
when power is turned off, its contents are
lost; where programs and instructions are
loaded while in use
271. Real image An image formed by the actual convergence
of light rays on a screen
272. Refraction The bending of a light wave as it passes from
one medium to another
273. Refractive
Index
The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to
its speed in a given substance
274. Restriction
Enzymes
Chemicals that act as scissors to cut DNA
molecules at specific locations
275. Restriction
Fragment
Length
Polymorphisms
[RFLPs]
Different fragment lengths of base pairs
that result from cutting a DNA molecule
with restriction enzymes
276. Ridge
Characteristics
[AKA
Minutiae]
Ridge endings, bifurcations, enclosures,
and other ridge details, which must match
in two fingerprints in order for their
common origin to be established
277. Rifling The spiral grooves formed in the bore of a
firearm barrel that impart spin to the
projectile when it is fired
278. Rigor Mortis The medical condition that occurs after
death and results in the stiffening of
muscle mass. The rigidity of the body
gradually disappears 24 hours after death
279. Rough sketch A draft representation of all essential
information and measurements at a crime
scene. This sketch is drawn at the crime
scene.
280. Router A device that manages traffic between
computers belonging to a newtork,
enabling them to share a connection to
the Internet
281. Safety fuse A cord containing a core of black powder;
used to carry a flame at a uniform rate to
an explosive charge
282. Screening test A test that is non-specific and preliminary
in nature
283. Search engine A Website devoted to searching for
information on the Internet using
keywords
284. Secondary
explosive
A high explosive that normally must be
detonated by a primary explosive
285. Sector The smallest addressable unit of data by a
hard disk drive; generally consists of 512
bytes
286. Sequencing A procedure used to determine the order of
the base pairs that constitute DNA
287. Serology The study of antigen-antibody reactions
288. Serum The liquid that separates from the blood
when a clot is formed
289. Short Tandem
Repeat [STR]
A region of a DNA molecule that contains
short segments consisting of 3 to 7
repeating base pairs
290. sink What will an object do if the density of a
solid is greater than the liquid medium to
which it is immersed?
291. Smokeless
powder
[double-base]
An explosive consisting of a mixture of
nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin
292. Smokeless powder
[single-base]
An explosive consisting of
nitrocellulose
293. Software A set of instructions compiled into a
progrm that performs a particular
task; consists of programs and
applications that carry out a set of
instructions on the hardware
294. Solid A state of matter in which the
molecules are held closely together in
a rigid state
295. Spectrophotometry An analytical method for identifying
a substance by its selective absorption
of different wavelengths of light
296. Sperm The male reproductive cell
297. Spontaneous
combustion
A fire caused by a natural heat-
producing process in the presence of
sufficient air and fuel
298. Standard/reference
sample
Physical evidence whose origin is
known, such as blood or hair from a
suspect, that can be compared to
crime-scene evidence
299. Stereoscopic
microscope
The most frequently used and
versatile microscope found in a crime
lab
300. Stimulant A substance taken to increase
alertness or activity
301. Sublimination A physical change from the solid
state directly into the gaseous state
302. Substrate control Uncontaminated surface material
close to an area where physical
evidence has been deposited
303. Substrate control An unstained object adjacent to an
area on which biological material
has been deposited
304. Super Glue Fuming A technique for visualizing latent
fingerprints on nonporous surfaces
by exposing them to cyanoacrylate
vapors; named for a commercial
product
305. Swap file or Space A file or defined space on the HDD
used to conserve RAM; data is paged
to this file/space to free RAM for
applications that are in use
306. Tandem repeat A region of a chromosome that
contains multiple copies of a core
DNA sequence that are arranged in a
repeating fashion
307. Telogen phase The final grown phase where hair
naturally falls out of the skin
308. Tempered glass Glass that is made stronger than
ordinary window glass by introducing
stress through rapid heating and
cooling of the glass surface
309. Temporary files Files temporarily written by an
application to perform a function
310. The bases
associated with
DNA
Cytosine, Guanine, Adenine, Thymine
311. The item that is not
to be collected from
a deceased's body
and sent to the
forensic laboratory
Ocular fluid
312. The most
important
prerequisite for
photographing a
crime scene
The crime scene to be in an unaltered
condition
313. The need to
prevent the
eventual loss of
evidence over time
What is not an allowance made to
justify a warrantless search?
314. This physical and
chemical change
does not occur
following death?
Biogor Mortis
315. Toxicologist An individual whose job it is to detect
and identify drugs and poisons in
body fluids, tissues, and organs
316. Toxicology Unit What is not a basic service provided
by "full-service crime laboratories"?
317. Transmitted
illumination
Light that passes up from the
condenser and through the specimen
318. Ultraviolet Invisible long frequencies of light
beyond violet in the visible spectrum
319. Unallocated space The area of the HDD that the
operating system [file system table]
sees as empty [contining no logical
files] and ready for data; the unused
portion of the HDD, but not
necessarily empty
320. Uniform Resource
Locator [URL]
A standard method by which Internet
sites are addressed
321. Vein A blood vessel that transports blood
toward the heart
322. Vertical or
reflected
illumination
Illumination of a specimen from
above; in microscopy it is used to
examine opaque specimens
323. Virtual image An image that cannot be seen directly.
It can be seen only by a viewer looking
through a lens
324. Visible data All data that the operating system is presently aware of, and thus is readily accessible to the
user
325. Visible light Colored light ranging from red to violet in the electromagnetic spectrum; ROYGBIV
326. Visible print A fingerprint made when the finger deposits a visible material such as ink, dirt, or blood on a
surface
327. Voice Over Internet Protocol [VoIP] Transmission of the human voice over the Internet, usually through a telephone
328. Voiceprint A pictorial representation of the frequency, duration, and amplitude of human voice sounds
329. Wavelength The distance between crests of adjacent waves
330. Weight A property of matter that depends on both the mass of a susbstance and the effects of gravity
on that mass
331. What is the melting point of ice on
the Fahrenheit scale?
32
332. Whorl A class of fingerprints that include ridge patterns that are generally rounded or circular in
shape and have two deltas
333. Wi-Fi Technology that uses high-frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over the
internet; allows for a wireless connection to the Internet
334. X Chromosome The female sex chromosome
335. X-ray A high-energy, short-wavelength form of electromagnetic radiation
336. X-ray diffraction An analytical technique for identifying crystalline materials
337. Y Chromosome The male sex chromosome
338. Y-STRs Short tandem repeats located on the human Y chromosome. Their utility in forensic science is
that they originate only from a male donor of DNA.
339. Zygote The cell arising from the union of an egg and a sperm cell