ForensiKit

The ForensiKit: Blood Spatter box includes

• Two 1-ounce vials of synthetic blood
• Twenty 24″ x 30″ sheets of newsprint
• One 10″ x 14″ cardboard angle adjuster
• One protractor with swing arm
• One metric ruler
• Two ABFO photomacrographic scales, metric
• Five pipettes
• One Blood Drop Height activity chart (Download another copy [PDF])
• One Blood Drop Angle activity chart (Download another copy [PDF])
• One activity insert (Download another copy [PDF])
• One packing list (Download another copy [PDF])

Materials needed:

• Household objects of various sizes (optional)
• Camera or cell phone (optional)

Steps

1. Make sure your Blood Drop Angle activity chart is nearby but not in the way.
   • If you need more copies, download a printable chart from the link in the box contents above.
2. Put the cardboard angle adjuster under your newsprint, and use the protractor to raise it to an angle of 10°.
   • You may want to put something under the cardboard to keep it at the desired angle.
3. Follow the procedure to apply three drops of blood onto the newsprint at a 10° angle.
   • Don’t forget to label each drop
4. Repeat Steps 2 & 3 from angles of 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70°, and 80°.
5. Measure the width of the “head” (rounded point) of your drops.
6. Measure the length (head to tail) of your drops.
   • Use the ABFO scale and your cell phone or camera to photograph each drop and its measurements (optional)
7. Record the data in your chart.
   • Note the presence of any satellites or spikes in the chart
8. Calculate the average for the set of dots at each angle and record it in your chart.

Consider

• Does your data suggest a relationship between the angle the blood is dropped from and the width & length of the droplets?
• Does your data suggest a relationship between the trend of the width and the trend of the length of the droplets?

Need more blood?

Synthetic Blood

Need more scales?

No. 2 Photomacrographic Scale

Want to level up?

Blood Spatter Kit