Hair And Fiber

Question 1

Cortex

Answer 1

The region of a hair located outside of the medulla containing granules of pigment

Question 2

Cuticle

Answer 2

The tough outer covering of hair composed of overlapping scales

Question 3

Hair follicle

Answer 3

The actively growing root or base of a hair containing DNA and living cells

Question 4

Medulla

Answer 4

The central core of a hair fiber

Question 5

Melanin granules

Answer 5

Bits of pigment found in the cortex of a hair

Question 6

Trace evidence

Answer 6

Small but measurable amounts of physical or biological material found at a crime scene

Question 7

Direct transfer

Answer 7

The passing of evidence, such as fiber from victim to suspect or vice versa

Question 8

Fiber

Answer 8

The smallest indivisible unit of textile, it must be at least 100 times longer than wide

Question 9

Natural fiber

Answer 9

A fiber produced naturally and harvested from animal, plant or mineral sources

Question 10

Synthetic fiber

Answer 10

A fiber made from a man made substance, such as plastic

Question 11

Secondary transfer

Answer 11

The transfer of evidence , such as fiber from a source to a person, and then to another person

Question 12

Textile

Answer 12

A flexible, flat material made by interlacing yarn

Question 13

Yarn

Answer 13

Fibers that have been spun together

Question 14

Comparison microscope

Answer 14

A compound microscope that allows the side by side comparison of samples such as hair and fibers

Question 15

What are the 3 different types of medullas of hair

Answer 15

Absent
Fragmented
Continuous

Question 16

What are the 3 types of cuticles of hair?

Answer 16

Spinous
Coronal
Imbricate

Question 17

What are 2 differences between animal and human hair?

Answer 17

In animal medulla is present for all animals and cuticle is spinous or coronal

In humans there can be no medulla and the cuticle is imbricate.

Question 18

Which cuticle patterns are NEVER found in humans?

Answer 18

Spinous

Question 19

What kind of evidence are fibers? Why

Answer 19

CLASS evidence because fibers can’t be assigned to a single person or thing.

Question 20

What kind of evidence is hair?

Answer 20

Class evidence because it cannot be used to identify a specific individual.

Question 21

Are rayon, polyester, nyon, acrylic, and olefin natural or synthetic fibers?

Answer 21

Synthetic fibers

Question 22

Are wool, silk and cotton synthetic or natural fibers?

Answer 22

Natural fibers

Question 23

What are other ways that you can analyze fibers

Answer 23

Burned test

Polarized light microscopy, or infrared spectroscopy and tests for solubility in different solutions

Question 24

What are 2 major differences between synthetic and natural fibers?

Answer 24

All natural fibers come from nature however synthetic fibers are man made

All natural fibers tend to be expensive however synthetic fibers tend to be inexpensive