Name at least two possible sources of ignition:
Match Electrical Sparks Chemical
A Forensic Document Examiner must have a license. T or F
False
Once adulthood is reached, an individual’s handwriting generally will not change with age. T or F?
False
True or False – Writings on a charred document may be revealed by reflecting light off the paper’s surface at different angles.
True
How are gas residues best characterized by?
Gas Chromatography
True or False – Accelerants are usually consumed completely in a fire.
False
The chemical reaction that occurs during a fire is called _________________.
Oxidation
In terms of energy conservation, what type of reaction is “fire”?
Exothermic
How is evidence at an arson crime scene collected?
In an airtight container such as a paint can. There should be space left at the top for air.
Margins, spacing and crowding are all different types of ____________ habits.
Personal
What is pyrolysis?
Pyrolsis occurs when an organic solid is hot enough to decompose into gaseous products.
How long does it take for a body to be cremated? At what temperature?
Two hours at 1600 degrees Fahrenheit.
What is the difference between a graphologist and a forensic document examiner?
A graphologist attempts to predict character traits of handwriting while a forensic document examiner identifies the authorship and origin of the document.
What are the components of black powder?
75% potassium nitrate 15% charcoal 10% sulfur
The minimum temperature at which liquid fuel produces enough vapor to burn is called the fuel’s ________________________.
Flash point
What are the three components needed for a fire to burn?
Fuel Oxygen Heat
When is the best time to start an arson investigation?
Right after the fire has been extinguished.
Describe the behavior of fire.
It moves up and away from its origin.
Is a warrant needed to search a crime scene after a fire?
No
Although spontaneous combustion is rare for humans, it has been known to occur in remote villages located near the equator. True or False?
False, no one has ever witnessed a human spontaneous combustion.
Minimum temperature to spontaneously ignite fuel is known as ___________.
Ignition temperature.
Fuel will achieve a reaction rate with oxygen sufficient to produce a flam only when it is in the ______________ state.
Gaseous
What type of behavior is handwriting?
Projected.
Handwriting can not predict behavior – true or false?
True, it can show correlation between personality and handwriting, but can not predict behavior.
What method physically separates mixtures of gases, liquids and dissolved salts?
Gas chromatography
Spalling is only left by an accelerant being poured and then ignited. True or Fasle?
False
Can the conscious handwriting of two individuals be identical? Yes or No
Yes! – only the UN- conscious handwriting of two individuals CAN NOT be identical.
What type of explosive is insensitive to heat, shock or friction and will normally burn rather than detonate if ignited in small quantities in the open air?
Secondary explosives
What must an examiner be able to recognize that is an attempt to change the original meaning of a document?
Erasures and Overwriting
Who investigates cyber crimes?
A Computer Crime Analyst
What is the number (or value) that represents how fast a compound travels in a particular solvent?
The retention factor or Rf value
True or False? Fraud investigation is the verification of age and value of a document or object.
False, fraud investigation is used to determine the authenticity of a document, not how much it is worth.
Which of the following is NOT a questioned document? a. Letters b. Checks c. Bumper Stickers d. Wills
Bumper Stickers
Name at least one of the two different methods of writing.
Palmer Method or Zonet- Blosser
True or False- Oxidations are chemical reactions that give off heat.
True
The offender’s pattern of operation
A motive, or the modus operandi
Another word for the rapid combination of oxygen with another substance accompanied by the production of heat and light
combustion
A chemical transformation in which heat energy is liberated.
Exothermic reaction
A chemical transformation in which heat energy is absorbed from the surroundings.
Endothermic reaction
What is smoldering?
Burning at the fuel-air interface
The intentional ________________ of writing by blotting out or smearing is seldom used for fraudulent purposes because of its obviousness.
Obliteration
_____________ _____________ is sometimes successfully used to reveal the contents of a charred or obliterated document.
Infrared photography