Ch. 3 Physical Properties: Forensic Characteristic of Soil Flashcards
Celsius scale
a temperature scale on which water freezes at 0˚C and boils at 100˚C at sea level
chemical property
a characteristic of a substance that describes how it reacts with another substance
density
mass of an object per unit volume
density gradient column
a glass filled (from bottom to top) with liquids of sequentially lighter densities
extensive physical property
a property that is dependent on the amount of material present
Fahrenheit scale
a temperature scale on which water freezes at 32˚C and boils at 212˚C at sea level
friable
easily broken into small particles or dust
intensive physical property
a property that is independent of the amount of material present
International System of Units (SI)
the system of measurements (metric units) used by most scientists
mass
a measure of the quantity of matter
mineral
a naturally occurring inorganic substance found in the Earth’s crust as a solid
physical property
a property that can be measured without changing the composition of a substance
postmortem interval
time elapsed since death
reference standard
physical evidence whose origin is known and that can be compared to evidence collected at a crime scene
subsoil
soil lying beneath the topsoil, which is compacted and contains little or no humus
topsoil
the surface layer of soil, which is rich in humus
weight
a measure of the force of attraction of the Earth for an object
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.
chemical
The ______ properties of a substance are those properties that can be observed and recorded without referring to any other substance.
physical
The International System of Units is known as the ______ units.
SI
_____ is a measure of the quantity of matter in an object.
mass
The basic SI unit for length is ______.
meter
The basic SI unit for mass is the ______.
kilogram
The basic SI unit for volume is the ______.
liter
Distance on a map is expressed in ______.
kilometers
A kilogram is approximately ______ pounds.
2
A meter is approximately ______ yard(s).
1
______ is a measure of the quantity of matter in an object.
mass
The Celsius temperature scale defines the freezing point of water to be _____ degrees C.
0
The Fahrenheit temperature scale defines the boiling point of water to be ______ degrees F.
212
A(n) ______ is immersed in a liquid to make a temperature measurement.
thermometer
A(n) ______ measures temperature without touching the object.
pyrometer or optical thermometer
The density of water is ______ g/mL.
1
The top layer of soil, the O horizon, is mostly ______ matter.
organic
The B horizon, which is located below the topsoil, is mostly ______ matter.
inorganic
The igneous rock found in soils differs in _____.
color, minerology, and texture
When a nest of sieves is used to separate soil components by size, the bottom-most sieve will contain the ______ size particles.
smallest
More than ______ minerals naturally occur on Earth, but a forensic geologist only encounters ______
2000, 50
