Science Skills
Footprints
Fingerprints
Other Evidence
Ink and Writing Analysis
100
An educated guess as to what happened
What is an inference?
100
The size of a footprint can be a good indication of this unless you are examining younger people.
What is the height of a person?
100
What fingerprints are made up of
What are ridges?
100
Using characteristics like absorbency and flammability
What is fabric analysis?
100
3 characteristics of a persons writing that can be analyzed
What is line quality, spacing, ratio of height width and size, pen lifts and separations, connecting strokes, beginning and ending strokes, unusual letter formation, pen pressure, slant, baseline habits, flourishes or embellishments, placement of diacritics (t's or i's)?
200
When the scientist uses his/her senses to record what is happening in an experiment.
What is an observation?
200

This includes mud, sand, dirt, snow...

What are trace materials?

200
Dividing prints into loop, whorl, arch, or composite
What is categorizing prints?
200
Two tests that can be done on fabric NOT done in class
What is a dye test and burn test?
200
The manipulated variable in a chromotography experiement
What is the pen ink samples?
300
The steps involved in carrying out an experiment or test.
What is a procedure?
300

A footprint characteristic that can tell you whether the person was running or walking.

What is stride length?

300
A fingerprint pattern in which the ridges start on one side of the finger and finish on the other side of the finger.
What is an arch?
300
The experiment done to match an ink sample with a suspects ink sample
What is a chromatography experiment?
300
The responding variable in a chromotography experiment
What is the separation of ink (colour and attractiveness to water)?
400
Completed at the beginning of a test or experiment - helps to connect what the scientist already knows about the question.
What is a hypothesis?
400

A design on the bottom of a shoe.

What is a tread pattern?

400
Fingerprints match when they have this many common characteristics
What is 8?
400
Statements that investigators get from people who may have been involved in, or know about a crime
What are witness statements?
400
The word for handwriting analysis
What is graphology?
500
The variables in an experiment that are kept the same.
What are control or constant variables?
500

A chart used to identify and separate different types of shoes. This can also be used for other applications.

What is a dichotomous key?

500
This is what causes our fingerprint pattern to transfer onto objects we touch
What is oil, perspiration, and amino acids?
500
pH is a characteristic of soil that can found using this test
What is a Bromothymol blue test?
500
A black pen would result in this (these) colours in a chromatography experiment
What is all colours?
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