Do not write on this.
Study Questions – Ch. 12: Forensic Aspects of Fire Investigation
Any time you write your answers on a separate sheet of paper, you will need to do one of
two things
 Copy the question exactly as stated on the worksheet then write your answer.
Your answer does not need to be in a complete sentence.
 Or, restate the question in your answer. This needs to be in a complete sentence.
1. List three factors that make investigating arson particularly difficult for forensic
scientists.
2. How is energy consumed in a chemical reaction? How is energy released?
3. What is the energy barrier and how does it relate to the concept of ignition
temperature?
4. What factors influence the speed of an oxidation reaction?
5. How high must the temperature of a liquid fuel be before the fuel will burn?
What is the term for the lowest temperature at which this occurs?
6. Describe and define the process of pyrolysis.
7. In order for combustion to be initiated and sustained, what three requirements
must be satisfied?
8. What are the three mechanisms of heat transfer? Briefly describe each.
9. What evidence at a fire scene may indicate the possibility of arson?
10. What factors can cause a fire to deviate from normal behaviors?
11. Why might an investigator conduct laboratory tests on unburned control material
collected from a fire scene?
12. Describe the headspace technique for recovering accelerant residues. What
instrument is most often used to detect and characterize recovered flammable
residues?
13. What is the major advantage of vapor concentration over the headspace
technique?