● Arches= a hill shape with no deltas

○ Tented arch= an arch with a sharp

corner at the top point
○ Plain arch= an arch with a more
rounded top point
● Loops= a beanish shape with one delta
○ Ulnar Loop= A loop pointing towards
the pinky
○ Radial Loop= A loop pointing towards
the thumb
● Whorls= a circle-like shape with two or more deltas
○ There are many sub-categories of
whorls, such as (but not limited to)-
■ Plain
whorls
■ Central
Pocket
■ Double
loops
■ Accidental
whorls
Mixtures:
In Crime Busters, there are 3 non-metals which can never be mixed in the event: yeast, vitamin C, and sodium acetate.
Everything left is neutral or basic and non-biological.

The key to finding the components to a mixture is to react each off individually. If there appears to be a powder and a
crystalline component, add HCl or iodine to a sample. If the iodine turns blue, finding the first component will be
straightforward because you will only need to find the pH of the mixture with water. A more neutral pH will mean that
the noncrystalline component is flour; a more basic pH will mean cornstarch. If the iodine fizzes (and the HCl), then the
component is Alka-Seltzer. A fizz with only the HCl means the component is either CaCO3 or NaHCO3. Once again, a
pH test will show the difference: a neutral pH means calcium carbonate, and a basic pH means baking soda. No reaction
means gypsum. To find the crystal, test for solubility. Sand will not dissolve, whereas salt and sugar will. The difference Soil:
between the latter two is that salt has cubic crystals, and sugar has irregular crystals. Peaty: Very Dark Brown
Two crystals are fairly easy to separate because the HCl and iodine can be skipped, and only solubility needs to be
Loamy: Dark Brown
tested. Once again, a component that does not dissolve is sand, and a component that does is either salt or sugar, which Sandy: Color or sand but darker
can be differentiated by crystal shape. If both dissolve, the mixture is salt and sugar (probably the single most common Clay: Slightly lighter than Sandy
mixture in this event). Chalky: Similar to limestone Essay Analysis:
Silty: Similar to loamy but slightly lighter Rationale based on physical evidence- Use the evidence to support your claim. Talk
For two powders, test with iodine first, then HCl if not all of the mixture fizzed or turned blue, and finally pH if needed. about every piece of physical evidence that points to that person. To connect someone to
Go off of the information above to find each, and use logic if two things react at once. the crime scene, one could cite a connection like "Joe works with flour daily, and flour was
found at the crime scene" or even more simply "Joe's fingerprints were found at the crime
scene".
Paper Chromatography: Reasons why it wasn't the other suspects- Even if the test does not explicitly ask for
1. Put a dot of ink on a 6” by 1” piece of white construction paper Shoe and tire tracks: this, it is an excellent idea to include it in the essay. Write at least a sentence for each
2. Get a small cup of water and put paper on cup just so that the person (more than a sentence if there is a lot evidence pointing towards them and you
Patent (also called visible): Visible to human eye, print from blood, water, etc. have to explain more in-depth why it wasn't them). If there is a lot of evidence against a
dot is above the water line (water and dot touch)
3. Wait for colors to separate Plastic: Visible to human eye, imprint made in ground itself, on mud, clay with second person, but you're sure it wasn't them, then talk about a logical reason why there
would be all of that evidence (for instance, "they work at the crime scene" is a common
4. Take paper out and quickly put a pencil line where top of edge high moisture, etc. reason). Also, even if someone has no evidence against them, include that in the essay:
of water is on paper
Latent: Not visible to human eye, needs other methods to uncover them "Joe had no evidence connecting him to the crime scene, so he was not the culprit".
Motives- Give a motive for the person suspected to be the culprit, or if the proctor gave
possible motives in the bios, restate them. This can add a lot to the essay, and help
support your claim even if the wrong person has been selected.
DNA: Multiple or No Culprits from List of Suspects- While most tests will have one culprit
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid and makes up genes in the nucleus of cells. Humans have 23 gene pairs, 46 genes in total, half from the list of suspects, do not get trapped into thinking that it must be only one person.
Some proctors may set up the test to point to two people working together, or they may
from each parent. These genes are found in living cells like your lung cells as an example but usually are not found in dead cells such leave insufficient evidence to point to anyone. If either is the case, adjust the essay
as fingernails and hair besides the ones in your hair roots. Body fluids such as blood and saliva that contain cells also contain DNA. structure to fit the claim, and make a logical explanation. If correct, you will likely do very
well. If incorrect, a logical explanation should receive a decent amount of credit for the
It is a nucleic acid, one of the four major types of macromolecules, and is shaped like a double-helix. Two biopolymers called essay anyway to still allow for a high placing.
polynucleotides make up this polymer, which comprises nucleotides. These nucleotides each have a nucleobase and a 2-deoxyribose Essay Structure-This can never hurt to have and takes very little time to do. Having a
planned structure can also save time when planning the essay during the event. A simple,
sugar group linked to a phosphate group, forming a phosphate-deoxyribose backbone. The nucleobase can be either adenine, guanine, yet effective structure goes as follows.
thymine, or cytosine, where adenine and guanine are the purines and the thymine and cytosine are the pyrimidines. Adenine pairs Intro Sentence- i.e. "Based on the evidence gathered, we concluded that the
with thymine and guanine pairs with cytosine, where they bind through covalent (also referred to as hydrogen) bonds. culprit was Joe".

Lead-in to evidence- i.e. "There is much evidence to support our conclusion"

State evidence in multiple sentences- i.e. "Flour was found at the crime
scene, and Joe works with flour daily. Also, Joe's fingerprints and DNA were
found at the crime scene. Finally, Joe.... etc."

Lead-in to other suspects- i.e. "In addition, Bob was the next likely suspect"
*remember to put the suspects from most likely to least likely, as it is the easiest
for the proctors to read

Sentence on each suspect- See "Reasons why it wasn't the other suspects"
section above
Patent Plastic Latent Conclusion Sentence- i.e. "Therefore, it can be concluded that Joe was the
culprit."