Forensic Science Final Exam Review

A comprehensive set of vocabulary and terminology flashcards covering forensic science concepts including skeletal analysis, fingerprinting, ballistics, toxicology, and criminal profiling based on the lecture notes.

Pelvis

The best bone for determining the gender of a skeleton.

Hyoid bone

A bone that, if damaged, indicates to a Medical Examiner that the person experienced trauma to the neck before death.

Marsh Test

A test for arsenic poisoning where zinc is combined with body tissue to produce arsine gas; the gas is lit and a black deposit forms on a cold porcelain plate if arsenic is present.

Marijuana

A drug classified as a depressant.

Prefrontal cortex

The part of the brain that is often found to be damaged in serial killers.

IAFIS

The system used to identify fingerprints.

Ninhydrin

A chemical method for identifying fingerprints that reacts with amino acids in sweat to create a purple blue print.

Cyanoacrylate vapor

A chemical fingerprinting method also known as super glue fuming.

Minutiae

Points where ridge structure changes, such as a fork, delta, hook, eye, or island.

Patent fingerprints

Visible fingerprints found at a scene.

Plastic fingerprints

Three-dimensional fingerprint impressions left in soft material.

Latent fingerprints

Fingerprints that are hidden and require physical or chemical methods to be visualized.

Caliber

The internal diameter of a gun barrel measured from land to land.

90 degrees

The angle of impact when a blood drop is perfectly circular.

10 degrees

The angle of impact when a blood drop has a long tail.

STR

The method of DNA testing used in Maryland.

Point of Origin

The $3D$ source of a fluid, such as blood.

Point of Convergence

The $2D$ intersection point on a surface derived from drawing straight lines through the long axis of several individual bloodstains.

Kastle-Meyer Test

A test to determine if a red fluid is blood; phenolphthalein, hydrogen peroxide, and ethanol react with hemoglobin to turn pink.

Agglutinate

The clumping of red blood cells.

Pyrolysis

The process of heating solids and liquids causing them to produce vapors which can burn.

Oxidation

A chemical process where a substance loses electrons.

Radial cracks

Glass fractures that emerge first and spread outwards like webs.

Concentric cracks

Glass fractures that form after radial cracks in a semi-circular shape.

Becke Line

A bright halo observed near the border of a particle that is immersed in a liquid of a different refractive index.

Refractive index

A number that measures how much light bends when it travels through an object.

Flotation method

A technique using bromofoam and bromobenzene to determine the density of unknown glass.

Monomer

A molecule that serves as the building block for polymers.

Class evidence

Evidence associated with a group or category rather than a single source.

Individual evidence

Evidence that can be linked to a single specific source.

Rigor mortis

The postmortem stiffening of body muscles associated with lactic and pyruvic acid.

Cadaveric spasm

A condition where muscles tense and lock instantly at the moment of death.

Blowflies

The first insects to arrive at a dead body.

Frye Standard

The rule that expert opinion based on a scientific technique is admissible only if the technique is generally accepted as reliable by the relevant scientific community.

Anthropometry

A system of identification based on physical measurements and mugshots developed by Bertillion.

Locard exchange principle

The principle that every contact leaves a trace.

Chain of Custody

The chronological documentation of the handling of evidence.

VICAP

The Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, the FBI's largest database for violent offenders created in $1986$.

Aura phase

The first stage of a serial killer involving withdrawal from reality and an antisocial urge to act.

Trolling phase

The stage where a serial killer searches for a victim in a location where they feel comfortable.

Wooing phase

A stage used only by organized killers to win the confidence of a victim.

Totem phase

The stage where a killer collects a trophy or souvenir to preserve their fantasy.

Modus operandi (MO)

A method of operation or pattern of criminal behavior so distinctive that it is seen as the work of one person.

4th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that protects against unreasonable searches and requires a warrant.

5th Amendment

The constitutional amendment protecting against self-incrimination, known as the right to remain silent.