Science Unit 2: Evidence and Investigation

Physical evidence:

• Links the criminal to the crime directly

• Includes witness testimonies

• Refers to a written statement made by a suspect

• Is often unreliable

Footprints, tire tracks, chromatography, and soil samples are all examples of:

• Circumstantial evidence

• Physical evidence

• Testimonial evidence

• DNA

Tracks/footprints determine:

• Direction

• Weight

• Speed

• All of the above

A wide stride indicates that the animal/human was:

• Walking

• Running

• Hopping on one foot

• Crawling

When examining tire tracks, which characteristic is going to be the least helpful clue?

• Tread pattern

• Depth of tire track

• Length of tire track

• Width of tire track

When performing a fair soil analysis test, it is important to:

• Manipulate one variable at a time

• Control all of the variables

• Measure the soil samples exactly

• Use the same scale to measure each sample

Chromatography is the process of:

• Analyzing handwriting samples

• Separating ink into the chemicals from which it was made

• Creating plaster casts of tracks/footprints

• Measuring tire impressions

In paper chromatography, the inks must be:

• Permanent

• Very thick

• Different colours

• Water soluble

Soil analysis does not include testing:

• Colour

• pH (acidity)

• Depth

• Particle size

To analyze a piece of handwriting, you would use:

• Geology

• Graphology

• Chromatography

• Archeology