Fire Definitions
Arson and Explosives
Evidence
Toolmarks and Impressions
Firearms
100

This is defined as the combination of oxygen with other substances to produce new substances, an example is rusting.

What is oxidation?

100

The search of a fire scene must focus on finding this.

What is the origin of the fire?

100

These should be used to collect and preserve arson and explosive evidence.

What are metal cans?

100

Wear and tear patterns on a tire or sneaker, lead to these type of characteristics in impression evidence.

What are individual characteristics?

100

These type of markings on a bullet are individual characteristics that match the bullet to the firearm from which it was fired.

What are striations?

200

Fire is this type of reaction in which heat energy is given off.

What is exothermic?

200

These are the three ways in which heat is transferred.

What are conduction, radiation and convection?

200

A fire scene should be thoroughly searched for the use of accelerants and these items that start a fire.

What is an igniter?

200

When you cannot take the piece of evidence, this type of casting should be used with tool marks.

What is silicone?

200

This part of a bullet has marking of the firing pin after firing.

What is the casting?

300

This happens when a fire starts by a natural heat-producing process in the presence of sufficient air and fuel.

What is spontaneous combustion?

300

These are three signs that a fire was started by arson.

What are irregular patterns on the floor, the use of streamers, separate or unconnected fires?
300

After an explosion, evidence collection should focus in this area.

What is the crater?

300

This type of casting is best for shoe prints or tire tracks in soft dirt.

What is a dental castings?

300

This database is used for the comparison of bullets found at a crime scene.

What is NIBIN?

400

This is the transfer of heat energy by the movement of molecules within a liquid or gas.

What is convection?

400

These are the most common type of low explosives.

What are black and smokeless powders?

400

This is another name for an uncontaminated control sample that should be collected at a fire scene.

What is an exemplar?


400

A criminalist should always do this before trying to collect an impression.

What is take a picture of it?
400

Primer residue analysis (or gunshot residue analysis) looks for the presence of these two elements.

What are barium and antimony?

500

This is the minimum temperature at which a liquid fuel produces enough vapor to burn.

What is flash point?

500

These type of high explosives are sensitive to heat, shock or friction.

What are primary explosives?

500

This instrument is the best for identifying accelerants used in starting a fire.

What is a GC/MS?

500

The suspect tool and the casting should always be packaged separately to prevent this from happening.

What is contaminating or damaging the evidence?

500

A forensic scientist in the ballistics section of a crime laboratory may be asked to perform analysis of the evidence in one of these four areas.

What are serial number restoration, bullet comparison, distance determination and gunshot residue analysis?