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Cast
A molded mass of plaster; may be used to preserve a footwear impression
Graphite
A material used in pencils; helpful in preserving fingerprints.
Latent
Not visible (ex. fingerprints that need to be dusted
Solvent
The liquid in a solution.
Alibi
What a suspect claims to have been doing instead of the crime.
Chromatography
The process done to separate the different pigments in ink
Graphoanalysis
Studying the connection between a person’s handwriting and their personality traits.
Manipulated Variable
In an experiment: the variable that is purposely changed (ex. the type of marker used)
Observation
Made using the 5 senses; something you can see, hear, touch, feel, taste, or smell
Witness
A person who observed a crime.
Constant Variable
In an experiment: the variables that must be kept the same (ex. type of filter paper, type of solvent, width of line)
Graphology
Studying the physical appearance of a person’s handwriting
Pigment
Provides color in a substance.
Objective
To remain unbias; not letting personal opinion affect your judgement
. Suspect
A person who may have committed a crime.
Evidence
Items connected to a crime that can help to solve it.
Hypothesis
In an experiment: an educated guess about the outcome
Porosity
How well a substance absorbs; having many tiny holes.
Inference
In real life: an educated guess BASED on an observation.
Contamination
When something is present that shouldn’t be
Forensic
The branch of science that is used in court to solve crimes.
Investigation
The 8 steps that must be taken to solve a crime.
Responding Variable
In an experiment: the variable that is observed or measured (ex. appearance of chromatogram)
Deduction
Being able to narrow down many sources of information to one fact
Crime
An act that is against the law