Physical Evidence
tangible objects, including weapons, trace evidence like hair, blood or fibers, and fingerprints
Documentary Evidence
any type of written or recorded evidence, such as a recording of a telephone conversation or a video recording of a crime
Demonstrative Evidence
evidence that is used to help recreate or illustrate a crime.
Testimony
the evidence given by witnesses during a trial
Identification
process of determining the chemical or physical characteristics of a piece of evidence with as much certainty as possible
Comparison
the process of testing a suspect sample with a known sample to prove whether or not they share a common origin
Probability
the frequency of an event
Individual Characteristics
properties associated with a common source to a high degree of certainty
Ridge characteristics or minutiae
the ridge endings, enclosures, and other details that make up a fingerprint.
Class Characteristics
those that can only be associated with a group and not a single source
Physical Properties
those that describe a substance or object without referring to any other substance
Chemical Properties
those that describe what happens when a substance reacts with another substance
Radial Fractures
those that extend outward from the point of impact, almost like the spokes on a wheel
Concentric Fractures
those fractures that form a circle around the point of impact
Soil
as surface material from the earth, both natural and artificial