Reference no: EM132496166

A Molotov cocktail is a fuel-filled glass bottle that has a cloth rag acting as both a plug and a fuse. After the cloth plug is ignited and the bottle thrown at a target, the glass breaks when striking a hard object which shatters and releases the fuel, which is immediately ignited by the burning fuse. In one example of the use of such a device, an arsonist used a Molotov cocktail to burn down a property in Dallas, Texas. The suspect was a professional arsonist from the Kansas City, Kansas, region. The only evidence from the crime scene was a shard of glass. How could a forensic scientist link the shard of glass found in Texas to a suspect from Kansas? No DNA or fingerprints were found on the glass. As you think about this consider habits of individuals. Also consider that glass is not a single ingredient entity, by that I mean it contains various substances and the composition of glass can vary significantly depending upon such obvious factors as color but also other properties of the glass such as its heat resistance properties.