Ballistics worksheet

NAME:	TEACHER:
Ballistics Worksheet

1. What substances are typically found in gunshot residue?

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2. What happens to the surface of a bullet when it penetrates different objects?

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3. A ballistics examiner finds that the bullet head has trapped some human tissue overlapped by strands of plastic found in contact lenses. What does this signify?

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4. What are the distinguishing features between bullet entrance holes and exit holes in clothing?

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5. How do ballistics experts determine firing distance?

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6. Why is it possible to trace a bullet back to the gun that fired it?

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7. Police are called to a farmhouse where someone has been shot. The victim survives but can't tell much about the shooter since it happened at night. The bullet cannot be found, but police discover a firearm in the shed. Another is found in reeds by a creek. They both show fingerprint impressions. The gun from the shed looks well-maintained and clean as if it was recently handled. It is not coated with dust like everything else, so police are suspicious. The barrel is examined by a ballistics expert who finds that the barrel is coated with a fine layer of rust. The gun from the creek bank also contains rust, but it is found only around the first few centimetres of the muzzle. Which of these weapons is the most likely to have been involved in the shooting, and why?

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Ballistics Worksheet