Clue Types
A unique pattern made by the ridges on someone's finger, often left behind and used to identify people.
Fingerprint
A number pattern where each number is the sum of the two before it: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and so on.
Fibonacci Sequence
A way of thinking where you use general rules to figure out specific conclusions.
Deductive Reasoning
Ways to describe data: Average, middle number, and most common number.
Mean, Median, & Mode
Genetic material unique to every person (except identical twins) that can link someone to a crime scene.
DNA
A fictional detective known for solving crimes with sharp logic and observation skills.
Sherlock Holmes
A unique number given to each device on the internet, kind of like a digital home address.
IP Address
Alibi
A simple type of code where each letter is shifted a certain number of places in the alphabet.
Caesar Cipher
An error in thinking or reasoning that makes an argument incorrect, even if it sounds convincing.
Logical Fallacy
A measure that shows how things are related (when one changes, the other might too).
Correlation
Tiny clues left behind at a crime scene—like hair, fibers, or bits of glass.
Trace Evidence
A famous mystery author who created brilliant detectives like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
Agatha Christie
A way to scramble information so only someone with the right code or key can read it.
Encryption
The reason someone might commit a crime like money, revenge, or jealousy.
Motive
A square grid of numbers where each row, column, and diagonal adds up to the same total.
Magic Squares
When details or facts don't match up, suggesting something might be false or misleading.
Inconsistency
A number in a data set that's much higher or lower than the rest (it doesn't fit the pattern).
Outlier
A science method used to separate mixtures, often to analyze ink or substances.
Chromatography
An unidentified criminal who committed murders in the 1960s and sent coded messages to police.
Zodiac Killer
Data about data—like when a photo was taken or where a file came from.
Metadata
Video recordings from cameras in public or private places, often used to track events or people.
Surveillance Footage
Words or numbers that read the same forward and backward, like racecar or 121.
Palindromes
Two statements that can't both be true at the same time (something doesn't add up).
Contradiction
A type of graph that shows how often data falls into certain ranges, like test scores.
Histogram
A chemical that glows blue when it touches blood—even if the blood’s been cleaned.
Luminol
An old crime that hasn’t been solved and doesn’t have active leads—but could be reopened.
Cold Case
A trick to steal personal information by pretending to be someone trustworthy—like in fake emails.
Phishing
A false clue meant to mislead or distract from the real solution.
Red Herring
Picture logic puzzles where you fill in squares based on number clues to reveal a hidden image.
Nonograms
A machine that measures things like heart rate and sweat to tell if someone might be lying.
Polygraph
A graph with points that show the relationship between two different variables.
Scatter Plot
The study of bullets and guns to figure out what weapon was used in a crime.
Ballistics
A young fictional detective who solves mysteries with intelligence, bravery, and curiosity.
Nancy Drew
The trail of data you leave behind when using the internet, like posts, searches, or logins.
Digital Footprint