Ch. 3 Physical Properties: Forensic Characteristic of Soil

Question 1

Celsius scale

Answer 1

a temperature scale on which water freezes at 0˚C and boils at 100˚C at sea level

Question 2

chemical property

Answer 2

a characteristic of a substance that describes how it reacts with another substance

Question 3

density

Answer 3

mass of an object per unit volume

Question 4

density gradient column

Answer 4

a glass filled (from bottom to top) with liquids of sequentially lighter densities

Question 5

extensive physical property

Answer 5

a property that is dependent on the amount of material present

Question 6

Fahrenheit scale

Answer 6

a temperature scale on which water freezes at 32˚C and boils at 212˚C at sea level

Question 7

friable

Answer 7

easily broken into small particles or dust

Question 8

intensive physical property

Answer 8

a property that is independent of the amount of material present

Question 9

International System of Units (SI)

Answer 9

the system of measurements (metric units) used by most scientists

Question 10

mass

Answer 10

a measure of the quantity of matter

Question 11

mineral

Answer 11

a naturally occurring inorganic substance found in the Earth’s crust as a solid

Question 12

physical property

Answer 12

a property that can be measured without changing the composition of a substance

Question 13

postmortem interval

Answer 13

time elapsed since death

Question 14

reference standard

Answer 14

physical evidence whose origin is known and that can be compared to evidence collected at a crime scene

Question 15

subsoil

Answer 15

soil lying beneath the topsoil, which is compacted and contains little or no humus

Question 16

topsoil

Answer 16

the surface layer of soil, which is rich in humus

Question 17

weight

Answer 17

a measure of the force of attraction of the Earth for an object

Question 18

The _____ properties of a substance are those properties that can be observed when the substance reacts or combines with another substance so as to change its chemical composition.

Answer 18

chemical

Question 19

The ______ properties of a substance are those properties that can be observed and recorded without referring to any other substance.

Answer 19

physical

Question 20

The International System of Units is known as the ______ units.

Answer 20

SI

Question 21

_____ is a measure of the quantity of matter in an object.

Answer 21

mass

Question 22

The basic SI unit for length is ______.

Answer 22

meter

Question 23

The basic SI unit for mass is the ______.

Answer 23

kilogram

Question 24

The basic SI unit for volume is the ______.

Answer 24

liter

Question 25

Distance on a map is expressed in ______.

Answer 25

kilometers

Question 26

A kilogram is approximately ______ pounds.

Answer 26

2

Question 27

A meter is approximately ______ yard(s).

Answer 27

1

Question 28

______ is a measure of the quantity of matter in an object.

Answer 28

mass

Question 29

The Celsius temperature scale defines the freezing point of water to be _____ degrees C.

Answer 29

0

Question 30

The Fahrenheit temperature scale defines the boiling point of water to be ______ degrees F.

Answer 30

212

Question 31

A(n) ______ is immersed in a liquid to make a temperature measurement.

Answer 31

thermometer

Question 32

A(n) ______ measures temperature without touching the object.

Answer 32

pyrometer or optical thermometer

Question 33

The density of water is ______ g/mL.

Answer 33

1

Question 34

The top layer of soil, the O horizon, is mostly ______ matter.

Answer 34

organic

Question 35

The B horizon, which is located below the topsoil, is mostly ______ matter.

Answer 35

inorganic

Question 36

The igneous rock found in soils differs in _____.

Answer 36

color, minerology, and texture

Question 37

When a nest of sieves is used to separate soil components by size, the bottom-most sieve will contain the ______ size particles.

Answer 37

smallest

Question 38

More than ______ minerals naturally occur on Earth, but a forensic geologist only encounters ______

Answer 38

2000, 50