Name: ____________________________ Period: _______________ Date: __________________

Forensic Science: Firearms and Toolmarks

Background: Scientists sometimes work with things other than just chemicals and test tubes. In the case
of forensics, some scientists study firearms and the projectiles they shoot. These people have the tools and
training to match a bullet to a specific gun, and can sometimes even determine who it was that fired the
gun.
Objective: Complete the Firearms and Toolmarks module of the CSI: The Experience Web Adventures.
To access it, open up your internet browser and type in the url: http://forensics.rice.edu and click on the
first box, Case 1: Rookie Training. There are several different activities that you can do and explore, but
make sure to take the time to complete the Firearms and Toolmarks section. While doing so, be sure to
answer the following questions:
A cartridge is a complete unit of ammunition made up of a cartridge case, a projectile, and propellant.
Lay people may call it a round.
A bullet exits the gun through the barrel.
A bullets caliber is determined by its diameter.
Spiral grooves carved inside the barrel of a gun that make the bullet spin in the air are called rifling.
The firing pin hits the primer of a cartridge and initiates firing the bullet.
Primer is a chemical that explodes when struck by the firing pin. It sets off the gunpowder which fires
the projectile.
A bullet is a type of projectile.
What is the caliber of the bullet? 9 millimeter
What kind of rifling did the bullet have? conventional
What was the rifling number of the bullet? 6
What kind of gun fired the fatal bullet? Taurus
Was it Suspect A or Suspect B who fired the fatal bullet? Suspect B
Which of the listed examples is not a class characteristic? Bullet striations